ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA kicked off his European outdoor campaign with a bronze medal at the Memorial Ireny Szewinska pole vault competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
The Asian record holder and world No. 3 Obiena cleared 5.72 meters to finish behind world No. 2 Chris Nilsen (5.92) of the US and Piotr Lisek (5.82) of Poland.
Jim Lafferty, Obiena’s confidante, was satisfied with the result which saw the three-time Southeast Asian Games champion finishing high in the star-studded 10-man field that included two-time world champion Sam Kendricks of the US.
“He’s [Obiena] preparing to go 6 meters. As Einstein said ‘insanity is repeating the same things over and over again and expecting a different result,’” Lafferty said. “EJ aims to do things he has never done.”
Kendricks placed fourth also at 5.72 meters but missed the podium after the countback.
Obiena will fly to Norway for the Bergen Jump Challenge on Saturday and the Oslo Bislett Games on June 15.