Kenyan Yego wins world javelin title

Kenya’s Julius Yego celebrates after winning the gold medal in the…

Kenya’s Julius Yego won the world javelin gold medal with 92.72 meters at the world athletics championships on Wednesday.

Egyptian Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed took silver with 88.99m and Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki, 2007 champion, had bronze with 87.64.

After his first throw that didn’t count, a tense Yego would score 82.42m in his second for a fifth overall placing before hauling a monster 92.72m in his third throw that wrapped up the contest.

Yego now trains in Finland, but spent his formative years coaching himself in Nairobi with the help of online videos. It was the first time in history five throwers recorded marks beyond 87 meters in a championship final.

Yego was delighted with his throw, and proud to have made it to the top of his discipline from such unusual circumstances. There will not be another YouTube athlete coming through. “I’m happy. I’ve won a gold medal for Kenya”.

“I watched YouTube and it really paid off for me, to see the training techniques and skills they are using“.

Jepkemoi said she wasn’t aware before her race of the IAAF announcement that Joyce Zakary, a 400-meter runner, and hurdler Koki Manunga had tested positive for banned substances in Beijing this week. The Czech also holds the world record of 98.48m, set in 1996.

The American, the 2005 champion, was also impressive in running 19.87s.