Julius Yego will return to the global athletics spotlight on Friday, May 16, 2025, as he kicks off his season at the Doha Diamond League, with the men’s javelin event scheduled to begin at 7:43pm local time .

The Olympic silver medallist and African record holder in javelin says he is eager to build momentum ahead of this year’s World Championships in Tokyo.

Yego has already booked his spot at the global showpiece thanks to his 87.72m throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Fresh Start

Yego, fondly known as the ‘YouTube Man’ for teaching himself the sport online, last competed internationally on September 5, 2024, at the Zurich Diamond League, where he finished bottom of the pack with a 69.61m throw.

Now 36, the Kenyan veteran believes Doha presents the ideal platform to rediscover his form.

“Great to be back here again to launch the season and hopefully a great summer of competitions and finally the World Championships,” Yego wrote on social media.

Doha holds sentimental value for the javelin star. Though he failed to register a mark in the final during the 2019 World Championships at the same venue, Yego says competing in Asia has always worked in his favour.

His career-best throw of 92.72 m, still the African record, came in Beijing in 2015, where he won gold at the World Championships.

Eyes on Tokyo

Yego will use this year’s Diamond League events as key preparation for his seventh World Championships appearance.

Since his global debut in Moscow in 2013, Yego has seen highs and lows: a gold in 2015, a silver in Rio in 2016, and missed finals in his past two World appearances in Eugene and Budapest.

His major test in Doha will come from a stacked field. India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Grenada’s Anderson Peters, the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, and Germany’s Julian Weber are all expected to push the competition to its limit.

Still, Yego remains optimistic. “Our performance in Asia has always been strong. I’m confident of another 90m throw.

“I pray the luck we had in Beijing follows us to Tokyo,” he said.

The Doha showdown could set the tone for what may be Yego’s final lap on the international stage — and he’s determined to make it count.