Julius Yego chasing one last Commonwealth gold
Although he is yet to produce a 90-metre throw this year, Yego hopes the city where his Commonwealth dream began will once again inspire him to produce a career-defining performance.
Kenyan javelin star Julius Yego is hoping to cap an illustrious Commonwealth Games career with another golden performance when this year’s Games get underway next week in Glasgow, Scotland.
The 2015 world champion heads into his fifth Commonwealth Games as one of Kenya’s longest-serving track and field athletes, determined to relive the magic of Glasgow, where he won his maiden Commonwealth title in 2014.
Yego made his Commonwealth Games debut in New Delhi, India, in 2010, finishing seventh after throwing 69.60 metres. Four years later in Glasgow, he announced himself on the global stage with a brilliant throw of 83.87m to clinch gold ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott (82.67m) and Australia’s Hamish Peacock (81.75m).
His fortunes dipped at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, where he failed to progress beyond the qualifying rounds after managing 74.55m. However, the veteran bounced back at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, claiming bronze with a throw of 85.70m behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (90.18m) and Grenada’s Anderson Peters (88.64m).
Although he is yet to produce a 90-metre throw this year, Yego hopes the city where his Commonwealth dream began will once again inspire him to produce a career-defining performance.
Speaking ahead of his return to Scotland, Yego expressed confidence that his preparations have gone according to plan.
“I think everything is okay. Training has been good, so I am excited,” he said.
The six-time African champion believes his best throw of the season is yet to come.
“I feel there is a throw that hasn’t come this season, but maybe at the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
Reflecting on his special connection with Glasgow, Yego added: “I was in Glasgow in 2014, and I won, so I am going back to pick it up from there. I will try to win the competition because I have won it before.”
Despite his optimism, Yego acknowledged the formidable field awaiting him.
“The top five in the men’s javelin this year are from Commonwealth countries, and that shows the level of competition has gone up,” he noted.
He identified world number one Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India, former Commonwealth champion Keshorn Walcott, and world champion Anderson Peters as the athletes to beat.
“We have the new kid on the block, Pathirage, the world number one. We also have Chopra, Keshorn and Peters,” he said.
Yego believes winning gold will require a throw beyond 90 metres.
“The minimum distance is 90m, so that shows the level of competition is high. I have to be up to the task because this is a mini-Olympics in the men’s javelin,” he said.
Yego enters the Games after a steady 2026 season that saw him retain his African title for a record sixth time and qualify for Glasgow by winning the national trials.
