World Athletics Championships: YouTube thrower strikes gold in Beijing

After the first two rounds in the Bird’s Nest Stadium, Yego, victor of Commonwealth Games gold a year ago, was trailing Rohler and El Sayed.

Yego flung himself forward as he released his third round effort, hitting the synthetic runway as his javelin sailed out to 92.72 metres.

The announcement of the positive tests in Beijing – coupled with Kenya’s surge to the top of the medal standings – has only heightened the scrutiny on the team. “I know I’m clean”. Instead, he liked to throw sticks and stones around the playground.

“I am so happy, I can’t even express it”.

Yego’s rise to fame is a bit more unconventional than the standard javelin medalist.

“Remember, in Moscow I nearly won a bronze medal, but at the last throw a Russian athlete didn’t let me win, but this time I came out strong”, he said. In London, Yego made it out of the qualifying round and finished 12th. “He’s not strong, he’s not so good (as a) jumper, but when he takes a javelin and starts to run and throw, then he’s one of the best”.

It was also a landmark day for another African nation, Egypt, which captured the silver medal in the javelin when Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed threw 88.99 meters.

Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki gave Europea some consolation by taking bronze with his 87.64m best effort.

Kenya continued its stance atop the medal count at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing Wednesday night, this time in the men’s javelin – another sport not traditionally associated with the distance-running power – and the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. “We have talent there”.