Yego chases Glasgow gold in Commonwealth last throw

The former world champion is preparing to make his last throw at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, hoping to leave the Scottish city with another medal before bringing the curtain down on his Commonwealth journey.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist first represented Kenya at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi where he placed seventh overall, but it is in Glasgow where he unleashed his potential by winning his first gold in 2014.

By announcing himself on the world stage with the win in Glasgow 12 years ago, Yego become the first Kenyan to win the men's javelin title at the Games.

A year later, Yego made history by becoming the first Kenyan to win a World Championship title in a field event after clinching gold at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China.

He returned to the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018 before winning silver at the Birmingham Games in 2022.

As he prepares for his fifth Commonwealth Games, Yego has confirmed this will be his last.

"This one will be my last Commonwealth Games appearing as an athlete and I'm competing for honours. After this, I will focus on the future beyond sports," he said.

Yego hopes to end that journey with another medal, although he admits it will not come easily.

"Hopefully I will have a good throw and qualify for the final. We have Olympic champions, world champions, former Commonwealth champions and champions of their continent and I think this will be one of the biggest finals in Commonwealth history. He added”

Despite the tough field, Yego says he feels ready after settling into training in Glasgow.

Looking back on his journey, Yego said he is proud of how far the sport has taken him from the days he first picked up the javelin as a young boy.

"I started as a very young boy, ambitious to learn more about javelin and dreaming of becoming one of the best athletes and my dreams came true when I won the Commonwealth title in 2014 and it's been an adventurous journey that I have loved from the beginning until now," he said.

Known as "Mr. YouTube" after teaching himself javelin techniques by watching online videos, Yego says the Commonwealth Games have played a major role in his career, giving him the platform to compete against the world's best and opening doors that led to greater success on the global stage.

He also believes Team Kenya has what it takes to add to the country's medal tally.

“I think we are on a good starting path and hopefully we will get more medals," he said.

As he steps onto the runway for one last Commonwealth Games campaign, Yego will not only be chasing another medal but also the perfect ending to a journey that began in New Delhi in 2010 and helped shape one of Kenya's most successful athletics careers.