Julius Yego is on a mission to reclaim the javelin title at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, United States - seven years after bagging Kenya’s first-ever gold medal in the discipline.
The Commonwealth record holder who has struggled with fitness and injuries in the past few years will kick start his campaign on Friday, July 22 at 0453hrs East African time.
Yego will compete against 28 other athletes including reigning world champion Anderson Peters from Granada, South Africa’s Johan Grobler and German’s Andreas Hofmann.
Also Read: Norah Jeruto Bags Kazakhstan's First World Championships Title
2022 Kipkeino Classic winner Ihab Abdelrahman is also in contention. The Egyptian has a personal best of 89.21m compared to Yego’s 92.72m.
Any athlete who will register a throw of 83.50m will book a direct ticket to the finals. However, if Yego manages to be among the 12 best throwers, he will still sail through even if he fails to reach the required mark.
Speaking to one of the local dailies, Yego revealed that he plans to throw a big single throw that will guarantee him a spot in the finals.
“I know what it takes. I will need that big single throw and the rest will take care of itself,” the father of two was quoted by Nation Sports.
Also Read: How Kenyan Athletes Are Allowed to Represent Other Countries
Yego added that winning a gold medal in Eugene will be a dream come true.
“I have worked on my techniques and I am good to go. Anything can happen in the final but it’s my dream to win the world title again,” he stated.
The javelin final is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 23 at 0420hrs.
After the conclusion of the World Athletics championships, Yego will fly to Birmingham, the United Kingdom to represent Kenya at the club games.
He will partner with Alexander Kiprotich.
Also Read: World Championships: 3 Kenyans Into Womens 5,000m Final