Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge announces international star-studded lineup

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The Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge, a collaboration between Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena, Ayala Foundation, and MVP Sports Foundation, has revealed its full roster for the two-day street vaulting competition on September 20 and 21. The event transforms Manila’s Ayala Triangle into a world-class athletics arena, offering spectators a rare Olympic-caliber experience.

Accessible to the public for free, the competition will also air on RPTV and stream via the Pilipinas Live App and One Sports’ YouTube channel, with catchup options on One Sports and One Sports+.

Obiena aims to showcase the Philippines’ ability to host world-class events.

World-class vaulters set to compete

The event features nine of the world’s top-ranked vaulters, many within the global top 20:

Ersu Sasma (Türkiye, World No. 5) – European Championships bronze medalist and Olympic finalist.
Menno Vloon (Netherlands, World No. 6) – European Indoor champion and three-time World Indoor top-eight finisher.
Thibaut Collet (France, World No. 12) – multiple top-eight finishes at World Championships and European events.
Ben Broeders (Belgium, World No. 13) – former European U23 champion with top-eight World Championship results.
Austin Miller (USA, World No. 14) – 2025 USA National Champion, recently vaulted 5.97 meters.
Piotr Lisek (Poland, World No. 15) – veteran with three World Championship medals and former world No. 2 ranking.
Oleg Zernikel (Germany, World No. 16) – European Championships bronze medalist.
Matt Ludwig (USA, World No. 23) – Pan American Games winner and NCAA champion.

Philippine collaboration brings event to life

This competition reflects a strong collaborative effort among Philippine organizations, with Platinum sponsor Ayala Corporation, Gold sponsors Globe, Smart, GCash, and Maya, and Silver sponsors including ALP, Alveo, BPI, BPI AIA, and Puma supporting Obiena’s vision.

Obiena, a two-time World Championship medalist and reigning Asian Games and Asian Championships gold medalist, said: “I really want to showcase the ability of the Philippines to host such an event…we want as many top athletes as possible to show the Philippines is capable of hosting world-class events.”