Julius Yego's exit beckons after his last African show in Ghana

Former world javelin champion Julius Yego in past action. [FILE]

Former world javelin champion Julius Yego is living his dream and is signalling an exit in the next few years.

The Olympic silver medallist has already bid farewell to the African Athletics Championships, and you will never see him competing at that stage in future.

On May 17, he stylishly bagged his sixth medal at the African Senior Athletics Championships staged in Accra, Ghana.

“This is my last African Senior Athletics Championships,” Yego said as he basked in javelin glory.

He went on to say: “My focus is now on the World Championships next year (in Beijing) and the Los Angeles Olympics (in 2028).”

The two major upcoming events in 2027 and 2028, respectively, will also be his last.

He said in Accra that as he plans to retire after the LA Olympics, his competitions will be scaled down.

“My age is advancing, and I want to limit the number of competitions and focus on the two major international championships and to pave the way for javelin throwers to compete as I offer mentorship,” said Yego.

The 37-year-old star observes: “Generally, the level of javelin is not where I found it. It has grown up in Africa.”

As the exit beckons, Yego prides himself on motivating a generation of not just javelin throwers but of field event stars.

US-based student athlete Irene Jepkemboi, the current national record holder, is among athletes motivated by Yego’s brilliance and energy.

In Accra, Ghana, Yego was in the company of Alexander Kiprotich, who threw 73.19m for a sixth place.

“I’m happy that I have really motivated many athletes in the field events not only in Kenya but also in Africa,” Yego says.

Field events athletes such as Isaac Kimunu (long jump), Belinda Adhiambo Obura (shot put), Asbel Kiprop Kemboi (high jump) bagged bronze medals for Kenya at the recently concluded African Athletics Championships.

Edwin Too also showcased his prowess in decathlon, scooping points in field events such as pole vault.

“You can see we have many new field events competitors coming from different countries that were previously unimpressive in the field events,” the javelin star, who is nicknamed Mr YouTube after using the platform for his initial training more than 16 years ago, said.

At the African Championships, Ethiopian Otagiogulla Obang threw 77.60m to place second behind Yego.

The Kenyan javelin legend feels that many African throwers, including Obang, were motivated by his rise to stardom.

“An Ethiopian threw 77m at the African Championships, which is an encouragement and a positive result for Africa,” Yego says.

He adds: “Africa is in the right direction. The main challenge is inadequate facilities for the field events and the coaching is not as advanced as it is in developed countries.”

Yego believes Africa is rich in talents but is lacking in support towards the establishment of the right infrastructure and facilities.

“When I won the World Championships and secured a medal at the Olympics and bagged a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and being there to compete at the African stage has motivated many athletes to take up the event,” said Yego.

He asks presidents of athletics federations across Africa to promote field events if the continent hopes to compete fairly at the global stage.

With his exit nearing, Yego salutes athletics fans for cheering him on despite challenges that include injuries.

“Most of those who are showing potential in field events are student athletes in the USA. I have to thank Kenyan fans because they have been supporting and cheering me on,” he further said.

Yego delivered his sixth African title in a 79.87m throw. South Africa’s Douw Smit settled for bronze with 76.00m.

"I had made a decision not to compete, but I was persuaded by the federation to fly my country’s colours, and I changed my mind and decided to compete and try to win the sixth title. This is my last African Championship, and I will now focus on the World Championships next year and the LA Olympics. Kenyans have been supporting and cheering me,” Yego said after his victory on Sunday evening.

By 2021 his target was to make javelin the most liked field event in Kenya by helping young talents during his retirement.

“I am an Arsenal fan, and I use part of my free time to watch English Premier League matches. I also swim, but I could not do it during the pandemic period,” says Yego.

It became clear to him when the 98.48m Jan Zelezny’s world record, which has stood for nearly came under a threat in September 2021, that it was possible for any javelin athlete to throw past the mark.