EJ Obiena claims silver, sets new record in Orlen Cup

Filipino athletics star EJ Obiena bagged a silver medal in the indoor pole vault event of the 2021 Orlen Cup held in Lodz, Poland early Saturday morning (Manila time).

The Tokyo Olympic-bound athlete finished in second place after clearing the 5.86-meter mark, setting a personal best and new national record.

American Sam Kendricks won the gold after opting to pass on the 5.91-meter mark, while Brazil's Thiago Braz settled for bronze after clearing 5.80 meters.

Prior to the competition, Obiena on Tuesday tied with Braz for fifth place at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in France.

Recently, Obiena won two gold medals in Berlin, Germany.

Obiena is the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. -- BAP, GMA News