MANILA — Ernest John Obiena booked his place in the 2027 World Athletics Championships after clearing 5.90 meters at the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, securing the qualifying standard despite finishing fifth in a world-class pole vault field.
The Philippine record-holder matched the 5.90m clearance of American Chris Nilsen but settled for fifth place on countback. More importantly, the performance assured the Filipino pole vault star of a spot in next year’s global championships.
Obiena successfully cleared 5.50m, 5.65m and 5.90m before failing in his attempts at 6.00m.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis dominated the competition with a meet-record 6.25m clearance, while Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis finished second after soaring to a career-best 6.20m.
Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen took third place with a 6.00m clearance.
Obiena’s 5.90m effort in Zurich was his second-best clearance of the season, just a centimeter below the 5.91m he registered at the Golden Sand meeting in Międzyzdroje, Poland.
The 30-year-old Filipino has shown steady form this season. He cleared 5.80m to finish seventh at the Silesia Diamond League and 5.81m for sixth place in Lausanne.
Obiena opened his season with a 5.78m clearance in Berlin before improving to 5.81m in Athens and eventually reaching his season-best 5.91m in Poland.
With his World Championships qualification already secured, Obiena can now shift his focus to the remaining major competitions on his calendar, particularly the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where he is expected to defend his pole vault crown.
The Zurich performance also strengthens Obiena’s momentum as he continues to test himself against the world’s elite and builds toward another campaign on athletics’ biggest stages./PN
