The 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego is eager to launch his 2025 season with a bang as he lines up for the Doha Diamond League showdown Friday evening.
Dubbed the "YouTube Man" for his self-taught rise to javelin stardom, Yego is making his first international appearance since September 5, 2024, when he struggled to find rhythm at the Zurich Diamond League, finishing last with a modest 69.61m throw.
Grenada's Anderson Peters (85.72m), Germany's Julian Weber (85.33m) and Japan's Roderick Dean (82.69m) completed the podium places in that meet.
Now, with his sights firmly set on a strong build-up to his seventh World Championships appearance in Tokyo this September, the 36-year-old believes Doha offers the perfect launchpad.
"Great to be back here again to launch the season and hopefully, a great summer of competitions and finally the World Championships," Yego shared on his socials.
Yego has already punched his ticket to Tokyo, having surpassed the 85.50m entry standard with a resounding 87.72m at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he placed fifth.
A veteran of the global stage, Yego made his World Championships debut in Moscow 2013, placing fourth with 85.40m.
Two years later in Beijing, he unleashed a career-best 92.72m — still the African record — to capture gold ahead of Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman (88.99m) and Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki (87.64m).
In London 2017, however, he fell short, finishing 13th (76.29m) with Germany's Jakub Vadlejch (89.89m) and the Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch (89.73m) and Petr Frydrych (88.32m) claiming the podium.
In Doha 2019, he recorded a NM (no mark) in the final won by Grenada’s Anderson Peters (86.89m).
He missed out on the finals in Eugene 2022 after recording a 79.60m in the qualification rounds.
Peters (90.54m), India’s Neeraj Chopra (88.13m) and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (88.09m) completed the podium.
Budapest 2023 also proved tough for Yego, where he missed the final after throwing 78.42m in the qualification rounds.
Chopra (88.17m), Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (87.82m) and Czech Vadlejch (86.67m) secured the podium.
With Tokyo 2025 fast approaching, Yego remains bullish about recapturing his best form, especially in Asia, a region that has historically brought out the best in him.
“Our performance in Asia has always been strong. The climate seems to work in our favour, and I’m confident of another 90m throw. I pray that the luck we had in Beijing follows us to Tokyo,” Yego said earlier in an interview with the Star.
Tonight in Doha, Yego will face a world-class field, including Olympic silver and bronze medallists Chopra and Anderson.
Adding depth to the star-studded field are 2020 Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch, European champion Julian Weber, Japan’s Roderick Genki and 2022 World Under-20 silver medallist Max Dehning.
