Latest news with #Yego
The Star
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Athletics-Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Athletics - Men's Javelin Throw Final - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - August 08, 2024. Julius Yego of Kenya in action REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo (Reuters) -Julius Yego, the former world champion famously known as "Mr. YouTube", faces a lonely battle to preserve javelin's future in Kenya as he prepares for Saturday's Neeraj Chopra Classic with the weight of an entire sport on his shoulders. The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist stands as Kenya's sole representative in javelin at World Athletics Championships, a contrast to his country's dominance in distance running that has produced athletes like Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon. "India, of course, being a very big economy, has really been able to help Chopra. I would say maybe the Kenyan story is a little bit different because there isn't much support in the sport as such," Yego told Reuters. "You can see it's only me who is still there. I'm in the last stages of my career and then we haven't got big support as I would want it to happen, but hopefully it will continue. "I can't even push when I'm not there (retired). So I can't even be part of the people who really want to make the change when I'm not active," added 36-year-old Yego, who won the world title in 2015. Coming from countries with less exposure in athletics, Yego finds kinship with Chopra in their shared mission to expand javelin globally. "We want to make the sport grow even bigger because it is a footprint that matters a lot. What we have done so far and what will happen after us, we want the sport to continue even when we are no longer there," the 36-year-old said. With the worlds looming in Tokyo in September, Yego said he was operating at "90% fitness" due to injury concerns and with a couple of months to go before the competition starts, he does not want to rush into anything. The Kenyan also reflected on his country's depth of talent in athletics, praising triple world and Olympic 1,500 metres champion Kipyegon's recent achievements. Kipyegon last month fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes when she clocked 4:06.42 in a Nike "Breaking4" project that, though faster than her own world record, will not be ratified. "Kenya has big talent, especially in track. Faith's done so well. She's done great in her push to break the four-minute barrier," he said. However, he expressed a particular interest in nurturing "the next generation of javelin throwers." Apart from Yego, Irene Jepkemboi can be his country's next hope in the sport after she became the first Kenyan female athlete to surpass the 60-metre mark in the javelin last month. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya
Julius Yego, the former world champion famously known as "Mr. YouTube", faces a lonely battle to preserve javelin's future in Kenya as he prepares for Saturday's Neeraj Chopra Classic with the weight of an entire sport on his shoulders. The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist stands as Kenya's sole representative in javelin at World Athletics Championships, a contrast to his country's dominance in distance running that has produced athletes like Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon. "India, of course, being a very big economy, has really been able to help Chopra. I would say maybe the Kenyan story is a little bit different because there isn't much support in the sport as such," Yego told Reuters. "You can see it's only me who is still there. I'm in the last stages of my career and then we haven't got big support as I would want it to happen, but hopefully it will continue. "I can't even push when I'm not there (retired). So I can't even be part of the people who really want to make the change when I'm not active," added 36-year-old Yego, who won the world title in 2015. Coming from countries with less exposure in athletics, Yego finds kinship with Chopra in their shared mission to expand javelin globally. "We want to make the sport grow even bigger because it is a footprint that matters a lot. What we have done so far and what will happen after us, we want the sport to continue even when we are no longer there," the 36-year-old said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work Singapore Power distribution system in renewal project may be linked to Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: SMRT Singapore Rise in number of scam e-mails claiming to be from Cardinal William Goh: Catholic Church With the worlds looming in Tokyo in September, Yego said he was operating at "90% fitness" due to injury concerns and with a couple of months to go before the competition starts, he does not want to rush into anything. The Kenyan also reflected on his country's depth of talent in athletics, praising triple world and Olympic 1,500 metres champion Kipyegon's recent achievements. Kipyegon last month fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes when she clocked 4:06.42 in a Nike "Breaking4" project that, though faster than her own world record, will not be ratified. "Kenya has big talent, especially in track. Faith's done so well. She's done great in her push to break the four-minute barrier," he said. However, he expressed a particular interest in nurturing "the next generation of javelin throwers." Apart from Yego, Irene Jepkemboi can be his country's next hope in the sport after she became the first Kenyan female athlete to surpass the 60-metre mark in the javelin last month. REUTERS
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Neeraj Chopra Classic: What impact does throwing javelin beyond 90m have on the body? Thomas Rohler, Julius Yego break it down
World champion Neeraj Chopra smartly side-stepped a 90-metre question by saying the Kenyan Julius Yego and German Thomas Rohler would be better placed to give answers. Chopra got the 90-metre barrier monkey off his back at the Doha Diamond League in May this year. Before Yego and Rohler could elaborate on the challenge of consistently throwing 90 metres, Neeraj was double quick. 'They are better people to answer,' he said half-jokingly. Indeed, in the field of athletes at the NC Classic on Saturday, they are the two veteran members of the 90m club. Rohler crossed 90 metres seven times before a back injury put him on the sidelines. He is on a comeback trail. The physical toll, post a 90-metre throw, is immense, Rohler said. 'Throwing 90 metres has a huge impact on the body. So once you've thrown 90 meters, the next thing you're going to do is rest a little bit. Because the impact is high, and people from the streets (fans) need to understand that we have one ton of weight, which is like a small car, impact on the block foot. This is javelin throwing. It's not yoga, okay? So it's really tough,' Rohler, the 2016 Rio Olympics champion, said. Talking to The Indian Express, Yego, the 2015 World Champion, and a javelin throw pioneer in Kenya, described the impact of a 90m throw on the body at the time of blocking and release, akin to pulling the handbrake of a car going at 100 miles an hour. 'You never know what happens inside the body because of the impact. Because you need to stop. It is like, sometimes you are going 100 kilometers in a car and you have to use the emergency brake,' Yego explained. He gives the example of what happened after this personal best throw of 92.72 metres at the 2015 Beijing World Championships. He struggled for a while to nail a big throw. The same happened when he threw 91.39 metres at the Diamond League in Birmingham in the same year. 'When I did 91 in Birmingham, I completely shut down. When I went to Beijing, I was even struggling to make the top 8. So that 92 meters was my last chance to try to be among the top 8, but luckily it became the winning distance at the World Championship, and immediately after that I struggled a lot,' Yego said. READ MORE | Neeraj Chopra Classic: Good host and great competitor – Neeraj Chopra ready for his dream event on home soil Post a 90-metre throw, an athlete feels good in training, but when it comes to competition, it is different. 'I think it impacts the whole body because after competition, you feel that your body is completely worn out. I don't know what happens because when you are training, you feel well, but when you go to a competition, the distance doesn't come. So maybe you need to go for a service like a car, to energise,' Yego said. Yego also caught up with world record holder Jan Zelezny, Neeraj's coach, who is also in Bengaluru, and discussed the 90-metre challenge. Zelenzy has crossed the mark 34 times. 'I spoke with Jan yesterday evening about it. When you get onto the runway, you can never know how far you will throw. The 90 meters will come by itself. But very few athletes have maintained that standard of throwing over 90 meters for long without even a break. I think the only one who has done that many times is Jan.' Rohler said mental toughness is also a requisite to breach the barrier. 'Doing it again and again is a mental challenge. It's about dealing with the pressure from the outside. We need to see the percentage of people in the world who threw over 90 meters. It is so small. So it's magical and I think we should all appreciate every moment we can witness these throws.' The expectation of a 90 metres throw in every second competition is unfair, Rohler added. 'We need to look back to 2012. You won the Olympic Games with 84 meters. Now people expect you to throw 90 meters. And if you don't do it, people will ask you if it was a bad day?'
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Rohler and Yego's contrasting journeys to the top of javelin
Thomas Rohler and Julius Yego had fascinating starts to their javelin careers. Rohler's journey as a junior began with him being a promising high jump and triple jump athlete, with the German even winning medals in junior National competitions. It was only much later that his interest in javelin throw took over, leading to a shift in path. Kenyan Yego, on the other hand, was destined for a life in distance running. As a child in Cheptonon, Yego took a long trek to school every day, and was well suited to excel in his nation's favourite sport. Incredibly, Yego's heart was set on javelin, so much so that he watched endless YouTube videos to learn the nuances of the sport. Yego's remarkable rise led to a world championship victory in 2015, and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. What made these achievements all the more remarkable was that they came at a time when javelin was dominated by Europeans. 'When I came up, it was only me and the Egyptian (Ihab Abdelrahman) who were different from others, because javelin was dominated by Europeans. Now, javelin has gone global. And then (Neeraj) Chopra arrived. Javelin is no longer confined to Europe,' Yego said in a press conference conducted on the eve of the Neeraj Chopra Classic here. Rohler's career highlight came at Rio 2016, where he won gold. Rohler's personal best of 93.90m in 2017 puts him in elite company. To breach the 90m mark takes a heavy toll on the body, Rohler said. 'Any 90m throw has a huge impact on the body. When you hit 90m, you have to rest a little bit. The impact is high - equivalent to a one-tonne impact on the block foot. This is not yoga. It is really tough,' Rohler said.
Hans India
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Julius Yego believes 90m throws can be on the cards at NC Classic 2025
Bengaluru: As the Neeraj Chopra Classic gears up its first-ever edition, scheduled for Saturday, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya expressed disappointment following the withdrawal of top athletes, including Grenadian star Anderson Peters and backed the strong field to shine with 90m show. Two-time world champion Peters was ruled out of the World Athletics category A javelin event due to an ankle injury just a few days before the competition, with Poland's Cyprian Mrzyglod replacing him in the lineup. Peters' withdrawal came just a day after India's Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena was ruled out of the competition due to an ankle injury. His fellow Indian javelin thrower Yash Vir Singh replaced Jena in the final entry list for the comprtition. "It's a shame that Peters was not able to be here. He is a good friend of ours. We really wanted him to compete,' Yego told IANS. 'But then, you know, your health is very important, and I wish him a quick recovery so that he comes back stronger. We made this sport very interesting." Despite Peters' absence, Yego remains upbeat about the competition's quality. "Those of us here are very good athletes. Thomas Rohler has thrown 90m, Neeraj has thrown 90m. The others too have thrown 84m or 85m. They can be able even to do 90m. Who knows, they can even do it tomorrow," he said. Yego, who learned the fundamentals of javelin by watching YouTube videos and has been trailblazing javelin's rise in Africa, signed off by highlighting the larger purpose of the event which is to promote and popularise the javelin in India. 'It's all about enjoying the sport and making javelin more popular in India,' he said. As a World Athletics-sanctioned Gold level meet, the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 becomes India's first-ever international javelin competition. The event is officially sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
