Julius Yego facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Julius Yego

Yego in 2015
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Mr. YouTube
Born	(1989-01-04) January 4, 1989 (age 36) Cheptonon, Rift Valley Province, Kenya (today Nandi County)
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Javelin throw
Coached by	Petteri Piironen
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	AR, CR 92.72 m (2015)
Medal record Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw World Championships Gold 2015 Beijing Javelin throw Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Javelin throw Bronze 2022 Birmingham Javelin throw African Games Gold 2011 Maputo Javelin throw Gold 2019 Rabat Javelin throw Silver 2023 Accra Javelin throw African Championships Gold 2012 Porto Novo Javelin throw Gold 2014 Marrakech Javelin throw Gold 2018 Asaba Javelin throw Gold 2022 Port Louis Javelin throw Gold 2024 Douala Javelin throw Bronze 2010 Nairobi Javelin throw

Julius Yego, born on January 4, 1989, is a famous Kenyan athlete. He is known for the javelin throw, where athletes throw a long spear-like object. People call him "Mr. YouTube" because he taught himself how to throw by watching videos on YouTube. He holds the African record for javelin, with his best throw being 92.72 meters.

Julius Yego has won many important competitions. He won gold at the All-Africa Games in 2011. He also won the African Championships in Athletics in 2012 and 2014. In 2014, he made history by becoming the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in a "field event" (like throwing or jumping) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He won another gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in 2015. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won a silver medal.

Julius Yego's Early Life and Training

Julius Yego grew up in a place called Cheptonon in Nandi District, Kenya. He went to high school at Kapsabet Boys High School. When he was young, he became very interested in the javelin throw. He didn't have a special coach for javelin in Kenya. So, he found a unique way to learn.

Learning from YouTube Videos

Yego spent hours watching YouTube videos of famous javelin throwers. He studied athletes like Jan Železný and Andreas Thorkildsen. He learned their techniques and how they trained in the gym. This is why he got the nickname "Mr. YouTube."

Starting His Athletic Career

In 2003, Yego competed in high school championships. By 2006, he won the national junior title. He also broke the Kenyan junior record with a throw of 67 meters. Kenya is usually known for its long-distance runners. But Yego quickly became a top javelin thrower in his country. He won his first national javelin title in 2008. He kept winning it in 2009 and 2010 too.

Julius Yego's Rise to International Fame

In 2010, Julius Yego was chosen to represent Kenya for the first time. He won a bronze medal at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics in Nairobi. His best throw was 74.51 meters. He improved his personal best to 75.44 meters later that year. He then competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, finishing seventh.

Breaking National Records

In 2011, Yego still didn't have a throwing coach. Despite this, he won his fourth national title in Kenya. Then, he went to the 2011 All-Africa Games. He became Kenya's first-ever champion in the javelin event. He set a new Kenyan national record with a throw of 78.34 meters. This throw was better than the old record that had stood for 14 years.

Training in Finland and the Olympics

Because of his amazing achievement, the IAAF (the world's athletics governing body) gave Yego a scholarship. This allowed him to train for six months in Europe. The goal was to prepare him for the 2012 London Olympics. He trained for two months in Kuortane, Finland, with expert javelin coaches.

When he returned to Kenya in 2012, he threw a new record of 79.95 meters. This throw was good enough to meet the Olympic standard. It meant he could become the first Kenyan to compete in javelin at the Olympics. He broke his own record again in Finland, throwing 81.12 meters. At the London 2012 Olympics, he threw 81.81 meters in the qualifying round. This sent him to the final, where he finished 12th.

Major Achievements and World Recognition

At the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Yego finished fourth. He improved his Kenyan record by more than three meters, throwing 85.40 meters. He was the first Kenyan to reach a field event final at the World Championships. He was in a medal position until the very last throw by another athlete.

Commonwealth and African Champion

In 2014, Yego won the javelin at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He even beat the reigning Olympic champion, Keshorn Walcott. This made him the first Kenyan athlete to win a Commonwealth title in a field event. He won another gold medal later that summer at the African Championships. He threw 84.72 meters, beating a strong competitor from Egypt.

World Champion and Olympic Medalist

Yego continued to improve in 2015. He won the Ostrava Golden Spike event with a new Kenyan record of 86.88 meters. A few days later, he threw 87.71 meters at the Golden Gala in Rome. Then, at the British Grand Prix in Birmingham, he threw an incredible 91.39 meters. This was a new African record and the best throw in the world since 2006. On August 26, Yego won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics with a throw of 92.72 meters.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Yego won a silver medal. He threw 88.24 meters, even though he only made one throw due to an ankle injury.

International Competition Record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Kenya
2010	African Championships	Nairobi, Kenya	3rd	74.51 m
	Commonwealth Games	New Delhi, India	7th	69.60 m
2011	All-Africa Games	Maputo, Mozambique	1st	78.34 m (NR)
2012	African Championships	Porto Novo, Benin	1st	76.68 m
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	12th	77.15 m
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	4th	85.40 m (NR)
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	83.87 m
	African Championships	Marrakech, Morocco	1st	84.72 m
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	1st	92.72 m (AR)
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	2nd	88.24 m
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	13th	76.29 m
2018	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	13th (q)	74.55 m
	African Championships	Asaba, Nigeria	1st	77.34 m
2019	African Games	Rabat, Morocco	1st	87.73 m
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	8th (q)	83.86 m1
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	24th (q)	77.34 m
2022	African Championships	Port Louis, Mauritius	1st	79.62 m
	World Championships	Eugene, United States	14th (q)	79.60 m
	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, England	3rd	85.70 m
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	17th (q)	78.42 m
2024	African Games	Accra, Ghana	2nd	81.74 m
	African Championships	Douala, Cameroon	1st	80.24 m
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	5th	87.72 m

¹No mark in the final

Seasonal Bests by Year

• 2009 – 74.00 m
• 2010 – 75.44 m
• 2011 – 78.34 m
• 2012 – 81.81 m
• 2013 – 85.40 m
• 2014 – 84.72 m
• 2015 – 92.72 m
• 2016 – 88.24 m
• 2017 – 87.97 m
• 2018 – 80.91 m
• 2019 – 87.73 m
• 2021 - 77.34 m
• 2022 - 85.70 m

Personal Life

Julius Yego is married to Sincy Chemutai. They have two sons named Jarvis and Finn.

See also

In Spanish: Julius Yego para niños