The 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego missed out on a podium finish at the Kip Keino Classic World Continental Tour on Saturday, as Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio Da Silva stole the show with a personal best throw at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi.
Yego, nicknamed the “YouTube Man,” managed a season-best throw of 78.74m to settle for fifth position, in what was a fiercely contested men’s javelin showdown.
Da Silva, making his Kip Keino Classic debut, launched a massive 86.34m effort in the second round— to lower his previous mark of 85.91m.
His mark at Ulinzi comfortably surpased the 85.05m qualifying standard for this year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Germany’s 2016 Olympic champion, Thomas Rohler, showed glimpses of his best form with a 80.79m throw to claim second, while Portugal’s Leandro Ramos completed the podium with 80.68m.
Alex Kiprotich had a below-par showing, finishing ninth with a season-best mark of 74.17m.
Da Silva opened with a blistering 84.54m in the first round before uncorking his winning throw in the second.
He backed it up with another solid attempt of 83.22m in round three, showcasing a consistent series that delighted fans and left rivals in his wake.
The Brazilian was pleased to have had good throws.
"It’s been a great experience to come to Kenya. I feel this was a good competition for me with solid series throws," Da Silva said.
After having met World Championships entry mark, the Brazilian hopes to fine tune his form before Tokyo.
"Now, I need to prepare for this year’s Tokyo Championships," he said.
Riding high on confidence, Da Silva is keen to maintain his form ahead of his next appearance in Portugal.
"I’m pleased with my performance today, and my goal for my next competition in Portugal is to maintain this form, especially throwing consistently like I did today," he said.
He hopes to throw a South American reacord in his next competitions. "I hope I achieve more personal bests or even an Area Record - like today," he said.
Reflecting on the crowd and event atmosphere, Da Silva highlighted they were key to his performance.
"I feel that I’m in the right shape for my next events, all I can do now is to be grateful to Kenya for the event you’ve put on, the whole atmosphere - everyone in the crowd was cheering and this is very positive during a competition," he said.
Meanwhile, Yego was hoping for improved results from his previous outing at the Doha Diamond League, which saw him place ninth with a 78.52m throw.
In that meet, German Julian Weber set a World leading throw of 91.06m with India's Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) and Grenada's Anderson Peters (85.64m) completing the podium.
