Filipino pole vaulter and Olympian EJ Obiena claimed his first victory of the 2025 indoor season at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlelor in France on Saturday.
The two-time Olympian cleared 5.70 meters, edging out Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, who also reached the same height but faltered in the tiebreaker, ultimately finishing in second place.
Christopher Nilsen of the USA secured third place after clearing 5.60 meters.
In a Facebook post, the world’s fourth-best pole vaulter celebrated his victory with a photo alongside fellow participants who also triumphed in the tournament.
"Merci Beaucoup Metz!!! Will take the season’s best and a dub!!! Now time to sleep and get some much needed rest as we go back at it tomorrow!!!" said Obiena.
In a setback, Obiena ended up in 7th place at the ISTAF Indoor Dusseldorf in Germany on Sunday.
"Not how I wanted it to go. Made one bar and sums up the whole competition. Taking the positives and the lessons to the next one," the Filipino Olympian stated.
"We keep moving forward," he added.
On January 30, Obiena secured the silver medal at the International Jump Meeting Cottbus, held at the Lausitz-Arena in Germany.
