Yego calls for local solution as World Athletics tightens Beijing 2027 standards

Former world javelin champion Julius Yego has urged Athletics Kenya to create more World Athletics-certified competitions locally after tougher qualification standards for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing were unveiled.

World Athletics on Tuesday published the qualification system and entry standards for Beijing 2027, with athletes required to either hit the set marks or qualify through world rankings.

Reacting to the changes, the 2015 world champion said the standards have gradually become more demanding over the years, especially in field events.

“I think the new standards have been coming slowly in some events and now all have been changed. For example, men’s javelin has been 85.50m since 2024,” said Yego.

“It’s getting tougher to get qualifying marks, but we also need to think about how to make our athletes achieve this locally. AK should devise a model that is World Athletics-certified so that our athletes can get these standards at home and even the points needed for rankings.”

The men’s javelin qualifying mark has been retained at 85.50m, but the men’s 100m standard has been raised to 9.95 seconds and 10.96 for women.

By coincidence, Yego holds a special connection with Beijing after making history at the 2015 World Championships in the Chinese capital, becoming the first Kenyan to win a world title in a field event.

The qualification window for most track and field events will run from August 23, 2026 to August 22, 2027, while marathon qualification opened on November 3, 2025 and closes on May 2, 2027.