Charged Yego Out To Reclaim His Javelin World Title
16th October 2018
Olympic silver medalist keen to hit the 90m mark by January as he launches preparations for the 2019 biennial track and field in Doha, Qatar later in the year
- Yego made history as the first Kenyan field athlete to win gold in China but a combination of injury and a loss of form saw him dethroned at the London 2017 Worlds last year
- Yego has started training earlier than his usual schedule with a view of gaining an edge in his attempt to reclaim the title he first won by uncorking a monster 92.72m african record at the iconic Bird's Nest in Beijing
- His target is to be in his most imposing form of producing 90m plus throws in January and as such, he is willing to scale back on his Christmas festivities
NAIROBI, Kenya – Olympic silver medallist and Beijing 2015 gold winner Julius Yego has resumed training early in a bid to reclaim the men Javelin title at the Doha 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics next summer.
Yego made history as the first Kenyan field athlete to win gold in China but a combination of injury and a loss of form saw him dethroned at the London 2017 Worlds last year.
The 'You Tube Man' is raring to once again scale the middle step of the podium during the 17th edition of the track and field showpiece that will run from September 27 to October 6, 2019 after being motivated by winning a third African title this August in Asaba, Nigeria.
“I have resumed training at Kasarani Stadium this week;
I’m doing a bit of light workouts that includes running, jogging and throwing.
This will become more intense in the coming weeks,” Yego told SportPesa News.
The triple African champion (2012, 2014 and 2018) will use the opening round of the 2019 IAAF Diamond League in Doha, at the same venue that will host the Worlds to gauge his fitness ahead of the global showpiece.
"Before Doha, I will head to South Africa early next year where I have been invited for some competitions," he revealed.
Yego has started training earlier than his usual schedule with a view of gaining an edge in his attempt to reclaim the title he first won by uncorking a monster 92.72m african record at the iconic Bird's Nest in Beijing.
“The last two years have been a nightmare for me; I
had groin injury that affected my performance.
“I failed to defend my medal at the Worlds in London where I finished 12th before picking silver at the Rio Olympics,” he highlighted.
His target is to be in his most imposing form of producing 90m plus throws in January and as such, he is willing to scale back on his Christmas festivities.
“If you have noticed, the sport has completely changed
in the last decade. Ones needs to throw big to land in the medal bracket, and
this is what I’m focused to do in Doha,” he emphasised.
Yego rued the withdraw from track and field of his kit sponsors, Japanese firm Mizuno saying it will hamper his progress as he shops around for a new partner.
“Mizuno used to cater for everything whenever I went to train outside Kenya, especially in Europe and South Africa. Supporting yourself abroad is very expensive and this is the reason I’m in search for a sponsor who can cushion my stay away.
“I’m optimistic my manager will get one to fund my trip in South Africa where I’m intending to spend a week or two for my drills because of the good facilities over there,” he stated.
The foundation
At the same time, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Champion is determined to start a foundation to inspire upcoming throwers.
“We have done all the paper work and we hope to launch it soon. It will part of my giving back to the society,” he said.
Yego, who hails from Nandi County also paid tribute to Olympic champion, Eliud Kipchoge who hails from the same region for shattering the world marathon record at the 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon last month where he stopped the clock at 2:01:39.
“That was some superb running by Kipchoge, it was not a joke. It shows what an athlete can achieve if they become keen on their discipline,” Yego hailed.