MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena retained his men’s pole vault gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam as he effortlessly set a new meet record at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday, May 14.

The Asian record holder cleared 5.46 meters in just a single attempt to break the previous mark of 5.45m he set when he ruled the 2019 SEA Games.

“I’m relieved and happy to win the gold. I came here as a favorite and finally delivered. Mission accomplished,” said the world No. 6 Obiena.

Reveling in the electrifying anticipation for his title-retention bid, Obiena prodded the fans in attendance to cheer as he tried to eclipse his Asian record of 5.93m by going for 5.94m.

However, Obiena failed after three tries as rain started to pour in Hanoi.

The Philippines completed a 1-2 finish as Hokett delos Santos bagged silver with a clearance of 5.0m. – Rappler.com