The 2016 Olympic javelin silver medallist Julius Yego insists he is not exiting the scene just yet, as he plots a strong comeback in 2026 following heartbreak at the Tokyo World Championships.
At 36, Yego remains one of Team Kenya’s most seasoned campaigners, boasting appearances at seven World Championships and four Olympic Games. His finest hour on the global stage came at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, where he soared to gold with a monstrous African record throw of 92.72m.
The following year, he backed that up with another imperious performance at the Rio Olympic Games, clinching silver with an 88.24m effort. He finished behind Germany’s Thomas Rohler, who unleashed a 90.30m throw to claim gold, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott completed the podium with bronze at 85.38m.
However, at his seventh World Championships appearance in Tokyo, Yego fell short of recapturing his global crown, his campaign cruelly cut short by injury.
He exited the competition in sixth place with a best mark of 85.54m. Walcott went on to strike gold with a season-best 88.16m, as Grenada’s Anderson Peters (87.38m) and American Curtis Thompson (86.67m) settled for silver and bronze, respectively. Despite the heartbreak of Tokyo, Yego insists the fire still burns.
He is back in training and laying the groundwork for a calculated push into the 2026 season. “I am getting ready for next season. After my injury in Tokyo, I came back home and had some rest,” Yego said.
Aware of the fine margins that come with recovery, the Kenyan great knows patience will be his greatest ally as he rebuilds. “I am just putting in the work in training to see how my body responds,” he added. “After the injury I had, it’s all about waiting and being patient. I can’t rush myself.”
Yego further noted that the 2026 calendar year is stacked with competitions, underlining why a measured approach will be key to staying competitive. “Next year is a long season also, so I have to be careful with my approach to competition and be patient with my training,” he said. His 2025 campaign has been a mixed bag, marked by fluctuating form as he searched for rhythm and consistency.
He opened his season at the Doha Diamond League in May, throwing 78.52m to finish ninth as Germany’s Julian Weber (91.06m) and India’s Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) dominated first and second. That was followed by a disappointing 74.71m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, where Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva triumphed with 86.34m.
But the tide began to turn in June with Yego rediscovering his groove in Europe, winning the Motonet GP in Finland with an 82.95m throw before improving to 83.08m at the Turku Continental meet.
He dipped again at the Paris Diamond League, managing 80.26m for sixth, but quickly bounced back at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in India, claiming silver with a season-best 84.51m behind Chopra’s 86.18m. In Brussels, he launched 80.50m to finish fifth, before rounding off his Diamond League campaign with another fifth-place finish at the Zurich final, registering an 82.01m throw.
by TEDDY MULEI
