Diamond League glory out of range for Kenyan Javelin hero Yego
Xinhua, September 8, 2015 Adjust font size:
Fresh from making history at the Beijing World Championships, Kenya's Javelin star Julius Yego believes winning the IAAF Diamond League crown at Friday's final in Brussels, Belgium could be a step too far even for a man of his immense ability.
Yego departs the country on Tuesday for the second to the last meet of the annual global circuit competition after his monster 92.72m throw made him the first African man win javelin title of the worlds at the Chinese capital.
Since his return home from his latest landmark conquest in a country more renown for distance running excellence, Yego has hopped from one engagement to another as a nation continues to toast his success.
"Beijing took a lot from me and I'm tired. But I will go to Brussels and give my best since they are expecting a lot from me there after becoming a champion in Beijing," Yego said.
"I have achieved what I set out to do at the beginning of the season, but as far as the Diamond League trophy is concerned, there are three other guys ahead of me in the standings and it will be difficult for me to go above them in the points even if I win," Yego told Xinhua on Monday.
The Kenyan field events pioneer is fourth in the Diamond League race behind the man he dethroned as world champion Vitezslav Vesely of Czech Republic, Finland's Tero Pitkamaki and reigning Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.
"I do not foresee any chance of overtaking Vesely who has been very active in the Diamond League this year. Remember, there was a time I was injured and missed Birmingham and when I returned in Lausanne and Monaco, they beat me to fourth and sixth," said the man who famously taught himself throwing technique on YouTube before landing a Finnish coach and a place in Javelin school at the same country.
Other Kenyan stars expected to star in Brussels include Asbel Kiprop who won a third straight world championship gold medal in Beijing . Endit