9) Julius Yego
Julius Yego was so good in 2015 that he almost made it to the top of our rankings, placing 2nd in our ratings last year. However, a mixed season has seen him come in at 9th place in 2016.
The burly Javelin thrower struggled for consistency in the course of the season having been hampered by injuries, which really proved to be his Achilles heel when it mattered most, as it cost him an opportunity of following up his 2015 dominance which saw him become the first Kenyan athlete to win a field event GOLD medal.
With Thomas Rohler dominating during the Diamond League (DL) season, and Yego having less impressive outings, for example finishing 7th at the Oslo DL with a mark of 80.90m, it didn’t look like he could challenge the German enough to win GOLD in Brazil.
However, Yego showed us his 2015 version, yes the one that saw him throw so well that he has the 8th best ever throw in men’s Javelin with 92.72m, the GOLD winning mark in Beijing last year.
Yego came to Brazil, showing the stuff of champions when he took the lead, throwing the best distance of the field with a mark of 88.24m. Sadly, he had to retire early having copped an injury that ruled him out of the contest, handing the initiative to other athletes to capitalize on this golden opportunity. Rohler made no mistakes as he bettered Yego’s mark, throwing 90.30m to win GOLD.
It was shattering for Yego, with the big man crying while watching from the bench as Rohler went on to snatch the GOLD from him while he settled for Silver. Maybe if he hadn’t gotten the injury he would have matched or even bettered Rohler’s mark, as he still had as many as four more throws left, exiting after just two throws.
Ranked No.5 in the world this year, Yego with his Silver in Brazil, became Africa’s first men’s Javelin thrower to win an Olympic medal. Although he will still be reckoned as “Youtube thrower” having learnt the art watching video clips, he has gone on to become a mainstay in the event.
