Men’s javelin silver medalist Julius Yego will be hoping to make the cut for Paris in the rankings after failing to clear the 85.50m qualifying mark.
Currently in 29th place with 1174 points, Yego is within the quota of 32 athletes for Paris. “I’m crossing my fingers to qualify for the Olympics based on ranking,” Yego said.
Yego said the reason he raced Motonet GP Kuortane in Finland last week was to boost his points and improve his ranking.
“I had gone to Finland to get more points because I haven’t met the Olympic qualifying distance,” said Yego.
After consultation with his management and Athletics Kenya, Yego took part in the event to improve his ranking.
“I planned the trip to Finland in consultation with my manager and Athletics Kenya. Initially I was in 32nd place but after the competition I moved to 29th place,” he added.
Yego threw 79.83m for fifth place at the Motonet GP in an event where Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott (84.89m), Grenada’s Anderson Peters (82.90m) and Latvia’s Gatis Cakss (81.61m ) took to the podium.
“I am within the Olympic quota of 32 javelin athletes for Paris. I’m just crossing my fingers to make my fourth appearance at the games,” said Yego.
Yego first competed at the 2012 London Olympics, finishing 11th with a throw of 77.15m. Walcott won the title in London after throwing 84.58m, followed by Finland’s Andi Ruskanen (84.12m) and Czech Republic’s Vičelav Vesely (83.34m).
He won silver at Rio 2016 with a throw of 88.24m, behind Germany’s Thomas Roller (90.30m).
However, he fell short at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing 24th with a throw of 77.34m.
India’s Neeraj Chopra (87.58m) and Czech duo Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and Vesley (85.44m) sealed the podium.
Yego hopes winning a record fifth title at the African Senior Championships in Douala, Cameroon on Wednesday will boost his world ranking. “The results of the African Championship may propel me into a better position ahead of the June 30 qualifiers deadline,” Yego noted.
Julius Gego secured his fifth continental showpiece title after throwing a distance of 80.24m. Nigeria’s Chinecherem Nnambi settled for silver after throwing 79.22m with Egypt’s Mustafa Mahmoud throwing 77.25m for bronze.
Reflecting on the competition, Yego acknowledged the stiff competition.
“It’s amazing to win my fifth title. It is not an easy feat because there are strong competitors from Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of the victory for his country. “I had to win the title for my country because it’s always colorful when I hold the nation’s flag high,” Yego stressed.