Former world champion Julius Yego has secured his place in the javelin final at the Paris Olympics with an impressive throw of 85.97 meters during the qualifiers. Known as the ‘YouTube Man,’ Yego finished second in Group ‘A’ qualifiers, just behind Germany’s Julian Weber, who threw 87.76 meters. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch secured third place with an 85.63-meter throw, making up the leading pack of seven automatic finalists.

Yego, an African javelin champion and former Team Kenya Olympics captain, carries Kenya’s medal hopes in the field event and aims to excel in the finals. In Group B, India’s Neeraj Chopra led with an 89.34-meter throw, followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Pakistan’s Nadeem Arshad.

The six top performers join those who met the qualification threshold of 84 meters for the final. Yego celebrated his qualification with jubilation, receiving loud applause from fans at the Stade de France.

After failing to register a legal throw in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Yego seeks redemption in Paris. He previously won gold with a 92.72-meter throw at the 2015 World Championships and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Currently ranked 15th in the world, Yego’s personal best remains the 92.72 meters achieved at the Beijing 2015 World Championships. He also finished second at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, with an 81.74-meter throw in March.