Yego lives dream: From track frustrations, the Africa champion basks in javelin glory

Kenya's Julius Yego competes during the men's javelin throw qualifications at the 2013 IAAF World Championships at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on August 15, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS

It's strange how fortunes turn around. Five years ago, Julius Kiplagat Yego dream of boarding an aeroplane had not come true.

He knew sports would get him places. He had a chance to travel to Europe for the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland but was, however, dropped from the final team. It was a big disappointment.

However, he put behind his disappointment and ventured into javelin.That saw him become Africa's first Olympic finalist in London 2012.

"It has been a long journey. I wanted to be a track athlete but I could not make it. And since I loved javelin from childhood, I had to try it out," Yego told Fever Pitch yesterday at the Commonwealth Games Village here in Glasgow.

Yego, who comes from Cheptonon Village in Nandi Hills, said the theory came to limelight after winning the All Africa Games in Mozambique.

"When I won the gold medal, the media were keen to know how I managed to venture into a field that is not common in Kenya. And I told them how I learned skills watching the best javelin throwers in YouTube. It was unbelievable," he said.

No one would have ever imagined he would soon widen the medal scope for a country traditionally known for its prowess on the track at World Championships and Olympics.

His performance even attracted advertising firm Orange Telkom to have him endorse their product. After his throws, Yego goes down on his knees screaming, his traditional cool down dose.

The joy of that scream — the ecstatic feeling one gets after achieving the impossible, the sense of pride and emotion after a brilliant display — tells a lot about Yego's struggle to excel in a discipline unknown to many, especially having come from a region endowed with track superstars.

"I feel I can produce the best throw by screaming. I feel re-energised by the scream. But that's my trademark, I love it," said Yego.

'YouTube man' as he is known started off with stick-throwing while herding livestock in the tea-rich farmlands of Nandi Hills — just as a leisure time engagement.

Yego became interested in the javelin throw as a youth and he watched videos of athletes such as Jan Zelezny and Andreas Thorkildesen on YouTube to help with his technique.

Yego, a police officer attached to Criminal Investigations Department wing, said he was confident of winning Commonwealth Games gold medal.

"After competing in major championships (Olympics and World Championships), I can now aim for the gold medal, which I am certain of winning. Since the tough Egyptian thrower or Scandinavian athletes are not with us, I will breathe easy," said Yego. Tegla Loroupe, Kenya's deputy Chief de Mission, said she was confident Yego will win gold and improve Kenya performance at the club games.