NAIROBI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Olympic javelin silver medalist Julius Yego from Kenya has thrown down the gauntlet warning his rivals he is focused on reclaiming his gold medal at the World Championships.
"The next stop will be the world championships in Doha. I will be ready and I want my title back," said Yego on Saturday.
At the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Yego won the gold medal with a throw of 92.72m, becoming the first Kenyan to win a World Championships gold in a field event.
Yego, 30, has finally overcome his ankle and groin injury, which have bedeviled his career in the last three years since his silver medal win at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
But speaking after winning the Africa Games title, Yego says the injury nightmare is finally over.
"It was a special day for me winning the gold for the second time in this Africa Games in Rabat. I must thank God for the good healthy he has granted me this year after two very tough years for me," Yego said.
He won his second African Games title with a throw of 87.73 meters ahead of compatriot and his training partner Alex Kiprotich.
Yego skipped the 2015 Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo forfeiting the gold he had won back in 2011 in Maputo, Mozambique. Egyptian Ihab El-Sayed won the javelin crown back in 2015.
"I must say I am extremely happy for my training partner Kiprotich for rising to the occasion. It was quite remarkable for him with his new personal best of 77 meters," he added.
Yego served as Kenya's captain to the Africa Games and feels it was an honor for him in what is likely to be his last show in the mini-Africa Olympics.
"I am happy to captain a glorious team also having been mandated to steer this wonderful team in Rabat. Thank you, my fellow athletes, for the work well done," he added.
Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge was among the fans that lauded Yego's return to fitness and winning ways. Kipchoge, who is preparing for the INES 1:59 Challenge, an ambitious project to run the marathon in under two hours in Vienna, Austria on October 12, wants the javelin icon to recapture his world title.
