Pole Vault Champ EJ Obiena Continues to Win the Sock Game

Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Uy Obiena just bagged his fourth consecutive SEA Games gold as he cleared 5.70 meters on his first attempt at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, December 16. This broke the 5.65 record he set at the 2023 SEA Games.

Thailand’s Amsamang Patsapong also cleared 5.70 meters, but the Filipino Olympian went on to take gold via countback (or a tie-breaker) after the Thai athlete failed on his first two attempts, ultimately settling for silver. Elijah Cole, who's also representing the Philippine flag, cleared 5.20 meters and snagged the bronze medal.

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Prior to the Southeast Asian Games 2025, Obiena competed at the 2025 Asian Championships in South Korea, where he placed first; at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he ranked fourth; the 2023 Asian Games in China, the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok, and the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, where he all bagged the gold medal. As of August 2025, the Filipino champ is at number five in men's pole vault by the World Athletics Rankings.

But aside from the gold-winning jumps, it's his pair of socks that also catches the eyes of spectators.

For this year's SEA Games, he put on a black pair of crew socks adorned with jeepney signages, a tribute to the iconic public transportation.

In an article published on Olympics.com, he explained: "I’m competing for my country and looked for socks that properly represent the masses, and this is it. I would say most Filipinos have ridden one, if not every day of their lives. It is the life that I grew up in, made me the way I am now, so this is a little thing that I could do for them."

"I got them from home, someone sent them to me," he added. "I was choosing which ones [to wear], and I said, 'I’m competing for the Philippines, and I really want something that [pays] homage to the country'. I think this is the best one I’ve had yet."

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