EJ Obiena beats Olympic medalists for gold in Czech tourney
MANILA, Philippines — Tokyo-bound EJ Obiena took his first gold medal of the season after besting the competition in the 2020 Ostrava Golden Spike held on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.
Obiena bested 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Renaud Lavillenie of France via countback after both vaulters cleared season-best 5.74 meters on their second attempts.
San Kendricks, who won bronze in Rio, came in third with 5.64 meters.
This is Obiena's fourth podium finish of the season.
The pole vaulter enjoyed much success after a long layoff due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Obiena pocketed two silvers and one bronze in his previous tournaments this year.
The Olympics-bound vaulter is expected to join around four more competitions this month as preparation for the delayed Tokyo Summer Games.
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