Four Filipino athletes have secured spots in the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships slated on March 20-22, 2026 in Kujawy-Pomorze, Poland.
Olympian pole vaulter EJ Obiena will banner the Philippine delegation in the prestigious meet. He recently made headlines with a season-best performance of 5.78 meters to secure the gold medal at the 2026 ISTAF Indoor event in Berlin last week.
Obiena is joined by John Cabang Tolentino (60-meter hurdles), Jessica Laurance (60-meter run) and Zion Corales-Nelson (60-meter run).
Obiena, who went through a tough 2025 season, expressed how grateful he is to have recovered his bearings this year and secured a slot in the World Athletics Indoor Championship
“Last year I missed, didn’t make the cut, grade or whatever is synonymous with 'failing to qualify.' That was a tough shake,” Obiena wrote on an Instagram post.
“Still today, it still doesn’t feel like anywhere near where I want to be or believe I can be. Making this world indoors championship, one of the twelve vaulters, is a small step to a long road back,” he added.
Also making a comeback in the World Indoor Championships is Tolentino, who failed to qualify last year as he recovered from a leg injury that he sustained during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In late 2025, Tolentino solidified his global reputation by setting the Southeast Asian Games 110-meter hurdles record at 13.66 seconds. This follows his record-breaking performance at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships where he posted a blistering 7.64 seconds.
Tolentino surpassed Eric Cray’s 10-year-old national record of 7.86 seconds when he bagged the bronze at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
Making their World Indoors debut are sprinters Laurance and Nelson.
Laurance, who recently switched her allegiance from Australia to the Philippines, qualified after clocking a blazing 7.20 seconds in the 60m dash on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, Corales-Nelson, a veteran of the U.S. collegiate indoor circuit, secured her spot via her global ranking and a personal best of 7.43 seconds set earlier this season.