MANILA, Philippines — Filipino pole vault ace Ernest John 'EJ' Obiena could not defend his Istaf Indoor title as he missed the podium at the PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sunday evening (Manila time).Winning last year's edition with an Asian indoor record of 5.93-meter clearance, Obiena cleared 5.55m only this time to finish seventh in the 8-man field.Home bet Torblen Blech claimed the gold medal as he surpassed 5.80m, while Paris Games silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States snared a silver with a 5.70m clearance in just one try.Kendricks defeated Ersu Sasma of Turkey via countback as the latter likewise cleared the same height as the former but did so in two attempts.
