MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena stayed on track for back-to-back podium finishes in the World Athletics Championships as he advanced to the men’s pole vault final in Budapest, Hungary on Wednesday, August 23.

Obiena qualified for the medal round together with Sweden’s Armand Duplantis and USA’s Chris Nilsen, setting up a fierce title clash between the top three pole vaulters in the world.

The first Filipino to win a medal in the worlds when he captured bronze in Eugene, Oregon, USA last year, Obiena cleared 5.75m as he finished at joint first in the qualifying with Duplantis, Nilsen, and Australia’s Kurtis Marschall.

Obiena jumped only twice, surpassing 5.55m and 5.75m in just a single try before 13 pole vaulters were named as finalists.

Defending world champion and world record holder Duplantis skipped the opening height of 5.35m and easily surpassed 5.55m, 5.70m, and 5.75m as he warmed up for his title defense.

Nilsen, the silver medalist last year, and Marschall, meanwhile, cleared all four heights without committing a foul.

Joining the four are France’s Thibaut Collet, Turkey’s Ersu Sasma, Belgium’s Ben Broeders, Italy’s Claudio Michel Stecchi, China’s Yao Jie and Huang Bokai, USA’s Zach McWhorter, and Poland’s Piotr Liserk and Robert Sobera.

The final is set on Saturday, August 26.

Also representing the Philippines, Robyn Brown and Eric Cray bowed out early as they failed to reach the finals of their respective events.

Brown, the reigning Asian champion in women’s 400m hurdles, finished seventh in her heat on Monday with a time of 56.83 seconds.

Cray also landed at seventh in his heat for the men’s 400m hurdles on Sunday after clocking 50.27 seconds. – Rappler.com