Julius Yego inches closer to World Champs qualification mark after Finnish victory

2016 Olympic javelin silver medalist Julius Yego, on Tuesday, 17 June, threw a season best 83.08m to steal the show at this year’s Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.

The 36-year-old came to the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting aiming to extend his run of consistent improvement, and did so on his fourth throw, which went further than his previous season-best of 82.95m set in Lahti just six days ago.

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In his trademark fashion, the 2015 World Champion hurled himself onto the ground after the throw, and a smile afterwards was evidence of his excitement to see one of his attempts cross the 83m mark for the first time this season.

The throw now sees him inch ever so closer to the 2025 World Championships qualification mark, which has been set at 85.50m.

His previous throws in the evening event were: 78.85, 81.94 and 82.26m.

Poland’s Cyprian Mrzyglod finished second with a season-best throw of 82.90m, with homeboy Toni Keranen closing out the podium with 81.96m.

2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott was only fourth, throwing 81.91m to suffer back-to-back defeats to Yego this season.

Meanwhile, in the men’s 1500m, African champion Brian Komen faded from the lead in the homestretch to finish third in a time of 3:34.06.

The 26-year-old Kenyan looked primed to win the race, only for him to be overhauled by Ethiopia’s Emiyas Girma and Norway’s Narve Nordas, who finished first and second in 3:33.49 and 3:33.83, respectively.

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The men’s 3000m steeplechase was not any better from a Kenyan point of view, as Wesley Lagat failed to finish, while Wilberforce Kones finished eleventh, albeit in a season-best 8:34.20.