EJ Obiena finishes fourth in Paris Olympics pole vault

Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena finished fourth in the 2024 Paris Olympics men's pole vault finals, narrowly missing a podium finish.

He apologized for falling short of his goal, stating, 'I apologize. I promised I was going to go back after Tokyo and do better. I did, but...it didn't change in my book. I still came up short. I'm sorry. I apologize for it.'

Obiena's fourth-place finish is an improvement from his 11th-place performance in the Tokyo 2021 Games.

Greece's Emmanouil Karalis secured the bronze medal by clearing 5.90 meters on fewer attempts than Obiena, who also registered the same height.

Sweden's Armand Duplantis defended his gold medal with a new world record of 6.25 meters, and the USA's Sam Kendricks took silver with 5.95 meters.

Obiena revealed he dealt with spinal issues leading up to the Games.

He is still deliberating and regrouping on his next steps, including whether to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as he has competitions lined up for the remainder of the season.