MANILA, Philippines — Pole vaulter EJ Obiena tried but failed to set a new national record and settled for a silver-medal finish in the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial 2021 in Chorzow, Poland last Sunday.
The 25-year-old world No. 5 attempted to eclipse the 5.91-meter national mark he set in the Paris Diamond League where he also copped a silver late last month and went for 5.92m.
But he missed out on both tries.
The Southeast Asian Games gold medalist first attempted a 5.86m, which would have put him in gold medal contention.
Instead, the Italy-based Filipino shared the silver with American KC Lightfoot after the two cleared 5.80m.
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Christopher Nilsen of the United States won the gold with a 5.86m.
Obiena’s finish was an improvement to a dismal effort in the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium where he wound up 10th with 5.65m a few days back.