Kenya’s pioneer javelin thrower, Julius Yego, is excited ahead of his last dance at the Commonwealth Games where he targets a memorable farewell in what will be his fifth consecutive appearance at the Club Games since debuting in New Delhi in 2010.
The 2014 Commonwealth winner and 2015 World Champion reflected on a storied career that transformed him from an ambitious self-taught thrower into one of the sport's most celebrated global figures.
"I started a very naive boy, very young, ambitious to learn more of javelin, and a boy who really dreamt of being among the best athletes in coming years," said Yego, famously known as Mr. YouTube.
"My dreams, I think, have come true. I won the Commonwealth in 2014... It’s been an adventurous journey for me. I loved the journey that I’ve undergone in javelin from the beginning until now."
Yego, who holds the Africa record of 92.72 metres set at the World Championships in 2015, got the nickname Mr. YouTube early in his career for mastering technique through online video tutorials.
This campaign represents the closing chapter of his long-standing relationship with the Commonwealth Games.
"This one will be my last Commonwealth Games appearing as an athlete," he stated candidly.
"That's a fact. I don't think I will be able to compete again in 2030 in the Commonwealth Games. I will be too old to compete... You can't just compete, when you're competing for honours, then I think that's why I'm saying it will be my last time to compete at the Commonwealth Games, and I will focus on the future beyond sports."
Yego enters the competition feeling physically sharp following early acclimatization and training sessions on site.
"For myself, I feel good," Yego noted.
“I arrived here, I've been in training, I'm just from training now and I feel the body is really okay. It's on the mood.”
However, the Kenyan star harbors no illusions about the heavy task ahead, pointing to a exceptionally stacked lineup of international throwers set to battle for the medals.
"On Thursday, I think in the morning hours, we will have the qualifications, and of course hopefully I will have a good throw... so that on Friday we have the finals, which will be big finals—I think one of the biggest finals in the Commonwealth history considering the athletes who are there," explained Yego.
"We have champions in different areas in competition: Olympic champions, World champions, former Commonwealth champions, champions of their continent. I think this one will be an interesting men's javelin competition in Commonwealth history."
Yego’s campaign comes amidst a promising start for the Kenyan contingent, providing extra motivation as the athletics programme hits its stride.
"So far so good. I think we are in a good starting path and hopefully we will get more medals," Yego added, drawing encouragement from team's initial podium successes.
Having captured gold in Glasgow 2014 and continuing to represent Kenya at the highest level across world championships and Olympics, Yego is taking a focused approach for his curtain call: "I'm not dreaming of maybe to compete in more competitions, but just to take each competition at a time."
