Brazilian Braz claims virtual pole vault gold

Dubai: Brazil’s Thiago Braz won the gold leaving Asian champion Ernest J Obiena in second, while American indoor champion Matt Ludwig took bronze in the global live stream pole-vaulting competition held by Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), earlier this week.

Organised earlier this week, the inaugural pole vault competition, that attracted more than 2.5 million online viewers, had four of the world’s best pole-vault champions going head-to-head.

With health and safety of athletes and organisers given top priority, the organisers supplied each athlete with a Fine Guard Sports Mask, which allowed them to compete with the utmost protection while not inhibiting their performance.

Brazilian vaulter Braz won gold clearing a height of 5.70m, leaving Asian champion Obiena for the silver with a clearance of 5.60 metres, while Ludwig took the bronze with a best effort of 5.53m.

The Brazilian Olympic gold medallist holds a personal best of 6.03m, while Filipino athlete Obiena who is all set to make his Olympic debut in Tokyo next year has a personal best of 5.76 metres while defending his Asian Games and Asian Athletics Championships gold medals.

US Indoor Champion and NCAA Championship qualifier Ludwig who has a personal best of 5.90m pushed former world champion and current European champion Pawel Wojciechowski into fourth place with after a clearance of 5.20m.

“It was both an honour and a privilege to work with these four incredible athletes and to be able to watch them perform at their absolute best as they prepare to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Games next year. Our vision for this event was so much more than simple entertainment; it was about kindling excitement and optimism for people all over the world at a time when it is needed the most,” James Michael Lafferty, CEO of FFH, said.

“I believe we accomplished that vision and I look forward to many more live virtual competitions in the future,” he added.

FHH gave away a total cash prize of $50,000 (Dh183,500) to the participating athletes in recognition of their time and efforts in participating in this first-ever online competition.