Yego calls for coaches, federation to go back to drawing board to revive male dominance

Julius Yego/ FILE

The 2015 world javelin champion and Olympic silver medallist, Julius Yego, believes most men’s disciplines are in transition and it will take some time before rediscovering themselves.

”As a country, we left it too late, and for us to get back on the track, it will definitely take some time,” he noted. 

He cited men’s steeplechase, saying we no longer have the likes of Ezekiel Kemboi, who ruled the water and jump event for over a decade. Kemboi is a double Olympic world champion and three-time world 3000m steeplechase champion.

“We over-relied on the likes of Kemboi, Brimin Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele and forgot that we needed to nurture their successors,” he noted.

Yego, who is the Team Kenya captain, said for Kenya to revive the old good days as far as the men’s events are concerned, they will need to go back to the drawing board and start afresh. 

He said winning a bronze medal through Edmund Serem was a huge achievement, and we need to build on that. 

“It is a good start and we should take advantage and build a team around Edmund,” he added.

He said, blaming the boy-child without getting to the roots of the matter, will not help this country. "As a country, we are very quick to blame but very slow in giving solutions.

Yego revealed that most male athletes lack patience, and once they find out something is not working for them as quickly as they want, they jump off.

“Take, for example, Javelin, where I am the sole athlete. Many athletes came, found me and when things didn’t work for them, they took off,” he noted.

“I have been around since 2007 and it’s not like I have had it smooth all the way. Between 2007 and 2010, it was very difficult and challenging for me but I soldiered on.”

At the ongoing Tokyo World Championships, Yego suffered a premature early exit after just round two in the men's final after launching an 85.54m throw.

Despite his exit, Yego finished sixth in the leaderboard with Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott (88.16m), Grenada's Anderson Peters (87.38m) and American Curtis Thompson (86.67m) claiming the podium.

Yego said he was almost stagnant within that period and it took the 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique for the tide to change. 

“I was stuck on 70, 71 and 72metres, and sometimes I could drop to 69m. But here I am doing well,” he noted.

Yego said there has been pressure for him to retire and focus on mentoring the youth. 

“But for one to perform, you must be willing to learn and you must set goals for yourself,” he added.

Yego explained that for one to grow in a sport, it should come from within and one has to be very patient. “Some of us did not just start performing; we sacrificed everything.

He said all stakeholders must be involved if the boy-child is to be lifted.

In a championship, he said they are a team and it is wrong for people to start throwing gender cards. 

 In Beijing 2015, Yego said they won seven gold, six silver and three bronze. “So out of the seven gold, five were men’s and I am wondering why that was not an issue.”

Ezekiel Kemboi (3000m SC), Nicholas Bett (400m hurdles), David Rudisha (800m), Asbel Kiprop (1500m) and Yego (Javelin throw) won gold in the men’s category.

Vivian Cheruiyot (10,000m) and Hyvin Jepkemoi (3000m SC) were the only gold medallists in the women’s cadre.

Yego insisted that a win is a win and it matters less who won it.

He called on Kenyans to be part of the solution to the problems ailing athletics, rather than criticising everything, even when the team was performing well.