Deaflympics javelin bronze medalist Kelvin Kipkogei in training at Ulinzi Sports Complex ahead of Tokyo/KSFDDeaf javelin thrower Kelvin Kipkogei wants to emulate his role model Julius Yego by clinching gold at the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics set for November 15 to 26.
Kipkogei, 27, was inspired by the 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Yego. He will also double in men's long jump, but says his priority is the javelin throw.
Speaking on the sidelines of Team Kenya’s training at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, Kipkogei said: "I have always admired his (Yego) performance. He throws 90m and I would like to perform like him."
"He inspires my career and I would like to meet him. I believe that if I had the opportunity to train with him, he would be able to share some tips with me to improve. I look up to him,” he added.
Inspired by the bronze medal he won on his Deaflympics debut in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, in 2022, Kipkogei will target 60m in Tokyo.
At Caxias do Sul, the African champion threw 51.30m behind Italian Masetti Matteo's 60.59m.
“I never thought that I could be a javelin thrower: I never thought that I could represent Team Kenya, and now that I have this opportunity, my biggest goal and dream is to get a gold medal in this competition,” said Kipkogei.
He once tried sprinting but gave up because it was too challenging and he decided to take up following in his father's footsteps.
“I saw my father doing javelin and I was interested in it. I found a group to train with. We would chop trees and use them as training tools. When I joined primary school, I got an opportunity to start practising seriously. At that time, I was hurling 52m and later 57m. Now I don’t know how I will perform, but I am hoping to get up to 60m or something above that,” the athlete said.
Kipkogei qualified for this year’s Tokyo Deaflympics by winning the Kenyan trials held at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi in September.
His target in training is strength and conditioning.
“I feel I’m ready for Japan, I only need to improve on my conditioning,” he said.
