2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego fell short of a podium finish at the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday, placing fifth with a season-best throw of 78.74m in a fiercely contested javelin event at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio Da Silva stole the spotlight with a personal best throw of 86.34m in the second round, surpassing the World Championships qualifying mark of 85.05m and improving on his previous best of 85.91m.
He also opened with a strong 84.54m and followed up with 83.22m in round three, delivering a remarkably consistent series in his debut at the event.
Germany’s 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler took second with 80.79m, while Portugal’s Leandro Ramos secured third with 80.68m. Kenya’s Alex Kiprotich finished ninth, recording a season-best 74.17m.
Da Silva expressed his satisfaction with the event and the crowd support, crediting the atmosphere for his performance.
Julius Yego.
“It’s been a great experience. I’m happy with the consistency and hope to build on this ahead of the Tokyo World Championships,” he said. He also aims to break the South American record in upcoming meets.
Yego had hoped to improve on his ninth-place finish at the recent Doha Diamond League, where he threw 78.52m.
That event saw Germany’s Julian Weber lead the world with 91.06m, followed by India’s Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) and Grenada’s Anderson Peters (85.64m).
