Yego Wins Dramatic Javelin Contest in Birmingham

Published by IAAF on June 7, 2015

Even though the javelin boasted the strongest field of any discipline at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix, few could have predicted the drama that would ensue in that event at the IAAF Diamond League meeting on Sunday (7).

Kenya’s Julius Yego took an early lead with 85.95m in the first round but Trinidad and Tobago’s London 2012 Olympic Games champion Keshorn Walcott moved ahead of him and into pole position with a national record of 86.43m in round three.

But Walcott’s lead lasted just a matter of minutes as Yego threw 10 centimetres farther with the next throw of the competition.

World champion Vitezslav Vesely just made it past the halfway cut of the competition, throwing 79.55m in round three after two fouls to sit in eighth place. The 2013 world champion remained in that position until his last throw of the day when he unleashed a season’s best of 88.18m to move straight into first place.

Everyone else was unable to respond to the Czech thrower with their final throws until Yego stepped on to the runway.