Kenyans are known for dominating the track and field sport, but surprisingly, out of the 79 Olympic medals won by Kenyan track and field athletes, none had come from the “field”. Julius Yego, a 26-year-old javelin thrower from the Nandi district in Kenya just made history at the track and field World Athletic Championships in Beijing, China.
A Great Throw
Yego made a spectacular throw of 92.72 meters. It is the longest javelin throw in 14 years, and the third best throw of all time.Yego put in all his energy and even fell face down to the floor. This astounding performance makes him a favorite to win gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics Games. “Very few athletes have done what I have done. […] I want to go back and watch my throw, it was almost perfect,” he said.
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A YouTube Sensation
Yego wasn’t much of a runner when he was young. Instead, he preferred to throw sticks and stones around the playground. He fell in love with the sport on television during the 2004 Athens Olympics and found his calling.“I could throw far using the stick so I knew I could be a very good javelin thrower,” he recalls. “I was born with it.” Yego now trains in Europe, but he spent his early years honing his technique thanks to YouTube videos. His strategy was successful because he was close to winning the bronze medal at the 2013 world championships in Moscow on the final throw.
“There were no coaches to guide me. I was just alone in the field, training. My father wanted me to give up javelin. Everybody here in Kenya is a runner. I took that as a challenge to find another way to succeed. I started watching videos… I could see that training like these people could improve me ” he said.
SEE ALSO: Usain Bolt Won His Third World Championship By One-Hundredth Of A Second.
