'Mr YouTube' Julius Yego spears world javelin title in monster 92.72m throw
Kenyan achieves the third longest throw ever - after learning the discipline by watching videos - and monster third-round effort is the longest since Jan Zelezny threw 92.80 in 2001
Kenya's Julius Yego taught himself how to throw the javelin by watching videos on YouTube after he was rejected as a runner by coaches.
Yesterday, he won the men's javelin title with the third longest throw of all time at the world championships in Beijing.
Yego's monster third-round effort of 92.72 metres is the longest since Jan Zelezny threw 92.80 in 2001. The Czech also holds the world record of 98.48m, set in 1996.
It was unbelievable, I am happy I won a gold medal for Kenya. Recently I had a serious injury and thought I would not be competing so to throw big like this is unbelievable
Egyptian Ihab Abdelrahman el-Sayed claimed silver with 88.99m for his country's first-ever athletics world medal while Finland's Tero Pitkamaki, 2007 champion and silver medallist in Moscow in 2013, took bronze with 87.64.
"Mr YouTube" also created history by giving Kenya - more noted for distance-running prowess - their first ever world title in a field event.
The achievement is even more notable considering Yego, 26, is diminutive by the standards of international javelin throwers, standing just 1.75m tall.
"It was unbelievable, I am happy I won a gold medal for Kenya. Recently I had a serious injury and thought I would not be competing so to throw big like this is unbelievable.
"Very few athletes have done what I have done. There will not be another 'YouTube' athlete coming through."
