EJ Obiena Climbs to No. 10 in the World Pole Vault Rankings
EJ Obiena is back in the top 10 of the World Athletics men’s pole vault rankings. The Filipino vaulter sits at No. 10 with 1,320 points, based on the rankings released on October 6. The list covers 1,100 pole vaulters worldwide.
Obiena was No. 12 on August 25, moved up to No. 11 in September, then broke back into the top 10. “Crawled my way back to the Top 10 in the world,” he wrote in a social media post.
The Asian Games gold
The rise follows his win at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. On a rainy Tuesday night, September 29, Obiena was the only athlete in the 12-man field to clear 5.75 meters. That secured the gold.
Before the Games, he and coach Marcin Szczepański had settled on a plan: gold first, then a run at the Games record. With the title won and his calf cramping, Obiena had the bar raised to 5.91 meters for a single attempt. He cleared it. The jump topped his own Asian Games record of 5.90 meters and matched his season best.
It was his 10th win of 2026. He is also the only Filipino track and field athlete to defend an Asian Games title since sprinters Inocencia Solis (1958) and Lydia de Vega-Mercado (1986).
The top five
World record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden leads the rankings with 1,561 points. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis (1,475), Australia’s Kurtis Marschall (1,405), Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen (1,398) and Sam Kendricks of the United States (1,367) complete the top five.
Obiena is the top-ranked Asian on the list. Seifeldin Abdelsalam of Qatar has 1,269 points and Li Chenyang of China has 1,255. Obiena reached No. 2 in the world in July 2023.
After a rough 2025
His 2025 season was hampered by injury and setbacks. After the Asian Games final, Obiena spoke about his outlook. “I think I’ve found a little bit of a different perspective in the things that I do,” he said.
What comes next
The Asian Games were his last competition of the season. He is enjoying a break in the Philippines and training alongside Karalis in Athens as part of a long-term plan. He is still seen as one of the country’s top contenders for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
