The 2016 Olympic javelin silver medallist Julius Yego is fired up ahead of Friday’s Paris Diamond League, hoping to extend his winning form after back-to-back victories on Finnish soil.
Yego launched his resurgence at the Motonet GP in Finland on June 11, uncorking a season-best 82.95m to take the win.
He led 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, who managed 79.98m for second place and Finland’s Taneli Juutinen, who came third with a 78.24m throw. The 2015 world champion then followed it up with a show-stopping performance at the Turku Continental Tour meet on Tuesday night.
He improved his season best mark to 83.08m in a dramatic finale to edge out Poland’s Cyprian Mrzyglod (82.90m) and home favourite Toni Keranen (81.96m). Yego’s return to form comes after a rocky start to his 2025 season.
He opened with a ninth-place finish at the Doha Diamond League in May, managing 78.52m. The meeting saw Germany’s Julian Weber unleash a world-leading 91.06m to claim victory. India’s Neeraj Chopra soared into the 90m club with 90.23m, while Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada threw 85.64m for third.
At the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Yego once again struggled to find his groove, placing ninth with a below-par 74.71m. Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva (86.34m) claimed top honours, with Germany’s Thomas Rohler (80.79m) and Portugal’s Leandro Ramos (80.68m) completing the podium.
Now, Yego believes he is up to the task for his next assignment after having found his rhythm in Finland. "Two weeks of training and two competitions all went as planned, two wins and two season bests," Yego shared.
With the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo looming in September, Yego is laser-focused on recapturing the magic of 2015, when he hurled a lifetime best of 92.72m to win global gold in Beijing. "I am heated up for the ultimate competition in Tokyo, but for now my focus is on the next competition before the World Championships," he added.
Yego has already met the 85.50m Tokyo standard with his 87.72m throw at the Paris Olympics. Yego highlighted his special love for Finland. "Finland has been like my second home ever since I stepped here in 2011, a decade and some years ago," he added. "First, I came here to train, and the rest is history now. I love this country. It has always given me the fire back up the runway."
He hopes his back-to-back victories will prove instrumental to him in his next competitions. "Now it’s time to take the travel bag and plot for the next tournament," he noted.
Yego is part of the headline acts for the Paris Diamond League on Friday, where he will flex muscles with India's Chopra, Peters, Walcott and Da Silva.
Meanwhile, in the men's 800m at the Turku continental meet, 2024 African 1,500m champion Brian Komen settled for third place over the distance, clocking 3:34.06. Ethiopia's Ermias Girma (3:33.49) and Norway's Narve Nordas (3:33.83) placed second and third.
