ERNEST John “EJ” Obiena cleared 5.82 meters to settle for fifth place in the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday at the Stadion Śląski in Poland.
Obiena’s performance came as Armand “Mondo” Duplantis rewrote history with a record-breaking 6.26-meter leap for the gold medal.
Obiena went up to the heights of 5.62-meters and 5.82-m marks without a hitch in his first attempts.
After that, the 28-year-old Obiena failed to sail through at 5.92-m. twice.
Missing out on his final try at 5.92 meters, Obiena went for six meters, but also failed to clear the height and get a podium.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Duplantis improved on the world record he set at the Paris Olympics by a centimeter.
Duplantis, now a two-time Olympic gold medallist, was ahead of runner-up American Sam Kendricks, who jumped to a season-best 6.0-m on his second try.
Obiena’s buddy when they are not competing, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, settled for the bronze medal via the countback, after he took three tries to clear six meters.
Another American, KC Lightfoot, made it to fourth with a season-best 5.92-m.
Karalis, who earned the bronze in the Paris Olympics, also set a new personal-best and a national record with his feat.
The Diamond League will have its next leg on August 30 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.
