Ernest John Obiena successfully defended his Asian Games pole vault title in Nagoya, clearing 5.91m to win gold and improve his own Games record by one centimetre.

Obiena entered the competition as the defending champion after winning in Hangzhou in 2023. In Nagoya, he cleared 5.91m for the gold, while China’s Yao Jie and Li Chenyang both finished at 5.70m.

The result gave Obiena a second consecutive Asian Games title and his second Games record. His previous record of 5.90m had been set when he won gold in Hangzhou. He raised it to 5.91m in Nagoya.

The Filipino vaulter is the Asian record-holder in the event and has been one of the world’s leading pole vaulters in recent seasons.

Obiena has twice won a World Championships medal. He took bronze at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and followed that with silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

He also competed at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, reaching the Olympic final in both editions.

His progression to the top level of pole vault has included a succession of national and continental records. The 5.91m clearance in Nagoya was not his personal best. Obiena’s national record stands at 6.00m, which he cleared in 2023.

He became the first Filipino vaulter to clear six metres and has repeatedly pushed the Philippine national record into territory that had previously been beyond the country’s best marks.

The Nagoya victory came in rainy conditions on the final evening of athletics. Obiena cleared 5.91m to secure the gold before finishing the competition with the Games record intact.

The victory also extended the Philippines’ run of success through Obiena at the Asian Games. His Hangzhou gold had been the country’s first men’s pole-vault title at the Games since 1958, and he now has two Asian Games championships.

At Nagoya, China’s Yao Jie and Li Chenyang shared the remaining podium positions after both cleared 5.70m.

Obiena’s 5.91m therefore stood alone at the top of the competition and was the highest clearance ever recorded at the Asian Games.

At 30, Obiena leaves Nagoya with two Asian Games gold medals, two World Championships medals and a six-metre clearance already on his career record.