To each its own: While Yego’s heart was set on javelin from the beginning, Rohler took up the sport only after competing in other events like high jump and triple jump.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Thomas Rohler and Julius Yego had fascinating starts to their javelin careers. Rohler’s journey as a junior began with him being a promising high jump and triple jump athlete, with the German even winning medals in junior National competitions.
It was only much later that his interest in javelin throw took over, leading to a shift in path.
Kenyan Yego, on the other hand, was destined for a life in distance running. As a child in Cheptonon, Yego took a long trek to school every day, and was well suited to excel in his nation’s favourite sport.
Incredibly, Yego’s heart was set on javelin, so much so that he watched endless YouTube videos to learn the nuances of the sport. Yego’s remarkable rise led to a world championship victory in 2015, and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. What made these achievements all the more remarkable was that they came at a time when javelin was dominated by Europeans.
“When I came up, it was only me and the Egyptian (Ihab Abdelrahman) who were different from others, because javelin was dominated by Europeans. Now, javelin has gone global. And then (Neeraj) Chopra arrived. Javelin is no longer confined to Europe,” Yego said in a press conference conducted on the eve of the Neeraj Chopra Classic here.
Rohler’s career highlight came at Rio 2016, where he won gold. Rohler’s personal best of 93.90m in 2017 puts him in elite company. To breach the 90m mark takes a heavy toll on the body, Rohler said.
“Any 90m throw has a huge impact on the body. When you hit 90m, you have to rest a little bit. The impact is high – equivalent to a one-tonne impact on the block foot. This is not yoga. It is really tough,” Rohler said.
Published – July 04, 2025 07:50 pm IST
