MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena wants to push beyond his limits after being the first Asian pole vaulter to hurdle the six-meter barrier.

Obiena said he welcomes the lofty challenge of clearing 6.25m set by Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano after surpassing 6.0m in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway last June 10.

It is a dare for the world No. 3 Obiena to up the ante as he looks to contend for an Olympic gold medal against an elite field of rivals in the Paris Games next year.

Among the top 10 in the world rankings, three others have also cleared the six-meter plateau this year: reigning Olympic champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, KC Lightfoot of the USA, and Sondre Guttormsen of Norway.

“I said you have to do 6.25. That will make all of us very comfortable going towards next year,” Capistrano told PlayItRight TV when asked about what he told Obiena following his historic vault in Norway.

No pole vaulter has reached 6.25m, with Duplantis being the closest when he reset his world record by soaring past 6.22m in France last February.

But Obiena is up to the task.

“I’m up for the challenge. I know what [Capistrano] meant by that. We’re gunning for gold in Paris,” said Obiena.

“The same motivation that I have and the same goals that I have, it’s pretty good to be aligned with people with the same mindset.”

Obiena joined the six-meter club by adopting a new 20-step technique for his golden vault in the Bergen Jump Challenge, where he beat two Americans in USA record holder Lightfoot and Tokyo Games silver medalist Chris Nilsen.

Admitting that the new method – an additional two steps from his old 18-step approach – is “difficult to control,” Obiena is convinced he can still raise the bar.

“I don’t think it’s the best jump I’ve taken. It’s one of the good ones but I don’t think it’s technically the best that I can do,” he said.

Needing to surpass the entry standard of 5.82m when the Olympic qualification period begins on July 1, Obiena aims to punch his ticket to Paris as he competes in the BAUHAS-Galan in Stockholm, Sweden on July 2. – Rappler.com