Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena continued his upward trajectory on the international circuit after capturing the silver medal at the Meeting Madrid 2026, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver, behind a season-best clearance of 5.85 meters.
Less than a month after making the bold decision to relocate his training base to Athens, Greece, the Filipino pole vaulter is already seeing encouraging results.
It marked another important milestone in Obiena’s buildup toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the 30-year-old showing signs that his new training environment is beginning to produce immediate gains.
After comfortably clearing 5.50 meters and 5.75 meters, Obiena needed just two attempts to soar over 5.85 meters, eclipsing his previous season-best of 5.78 meters set at the ISTAF Indoor meet in Berlin earlier this year. It also became his first successful clearance above 5.80 meters since September 2025.
Obiena then attempted 5.95 meters, a height that would have secured the gold medal, but was unable to clear the bar in his three tries.
Still, the Filipino star welcomed the performance as another step in the right direction.
“Green socks 
for the green track of Madrid 
5.85m for 2nd place
and SB here @athleticstoures . Thank you for having us. Will get this bar next time,” Obiena wrote on his social media post.
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Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre claimed the gold after clearing 5.90 meters, while Portugal’s Pedro Buaro also registered 5.85 meters but settled for bronze after requiring three attempts at the height, giving Obiena the silver via countback.
The podium finish continues a stretch of positive performances for the Philippine record-holder. Prior to Madrid, Obiena collected back-to-back gold medals in meets held in Poland and Austria before narrowly missing the podium at the Fly Athens Street Pole Vault, where he cleared 5.81 meters but lost out on countback.
His latest performance suggests that the transition to Greece is beginning to bear fruit.
Months ago, Obiena officially transferred his training base to Athens and began working under Polish coach Marcin Szczepanski. He now trains alongside Greek Olympian and world No. 2 Emmanuel Karalis at a facility built for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The move represented one of the biggest changes of Obiena’s career after years of training elsewhere, with the Filipino vaulter believing the new setup offers the best opportunity to elevate his performances over the next Olympic cycle.
Currently ranked No. 14 in the latest men’s pole vault world rankings, Obiena has made no secret that every competition forms part of a bigger objective—putting himself in the strongest position possible to contend for a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Madrid may not have delivered the gold, but the season-best 5.85-meter clearance provided another sign that Obiena is steadily building momentum as the outdoor campaign progresses.
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