Fully fit Yego eyeing podium finish at Budapest World Championships

The 2015 World Javelin Champion Julius Yego will be out to reclaim the title in the forthcoming Budapest World Championships, as he aims to make a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Speaking on Thursday during a colorful event attended by the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba at the National Museum of Kenya to mark 365 days to the competition, the five-time African acknowledged he had dipped in form since winning the world title but is ready to reclaim the lost glory.

“I am happy, and I thank God I am free of injuries. Since 2016 I have not done well neither in World Championship nor Olympics. I now feel good, strong, ready, and determined to reclaim back my 2015 world gold medal in javelin,” said Yego who won A silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Yego has also underscored the need for more support to the Kenyan Olympians, in preparation for the Paris fiesta.

“We thank the Ministry and federations and urge them to continue giving us the support. With continued support we will have many athletes qualifying. This will raise our chances of getting more medals in the event.

“The support should not only be limited to financial issues but also sporting facilities including the training camps,” added Yego.

Yego, fondly known as “YouTube Man” in June won his 10th national javelin title with a throw of 81.84 metres during the national trials held at the Nyayo National Stadium.

On his part, the Cabinet Secretary for sports said the Ministry had rolled out a sequential plan to support the athletes.

“The plan is vital in our preparation. Failing to plan is planning to fail. We will also keep an eye to make sure that the previously witnessed accountability issues do not happen,” said CS Namwamba.

His sentiments were echoed by the President of National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-Kenya) Paul Tergat, underlined the importance of the Budapest championships in building up for the Paris Olympics.

 “We’re now focusing on qualifications. The World Championships scheduled for August in Budapest; Hungary plays a vital role in providing an opportunity to our athletes to step-up their preparations for the upcoming Olympics. We’ve also secured a pre-training camp for our athletes in France, this will bring about exposure to our athletes,” the NOC-Kenya President said.

Among other dignitaries present were Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei, legendary athlete Kipchoge Keino, former marathoner Catherine Ndereba and former Kenya Sevens ace Humphrey Khayange.