Julius Yego voices frustration as athletes are overlooked in Jamhuri Day celebrations
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 13.12.24. | 13:24
During the celebrations, the President conferred Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (C.B.S), Order of the Grand Warrior (O.G.W), and Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.) status to several individuals
2015 World javelin Champion Julius Yego has lamented over the overlooking of sportspeople during the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Thursday, 12 December.
The 61st celebrations were held at Uhuru Gardens with thousands of Kenyans in attendance.
During the celebrations, the President conferred Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (C.B.S), Order of the Grand Warrior (O.G.W), and Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.) status to several individuals.
What caused an uproar however was that no athlete was conferred any legendary status.
This is despite the country coming off an impressive Paris 2024 Olympics year.
Besides the Olympics, Kenyan athletes competed in the Diamond League meets, the Kenya U17 team made history by qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup, and the Kenya women’s amputee football team secured an impressive fourth place in the inaugural 2024 Women's Amputee Football World Cup, held at the Romelio Martínez Stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia among other achievements.
The first athlete to raise his voice was Yego, who wondered why Kenyan athletes are often forgotten during such important celebrations despite bringing the country so much glory.
For instance, during the Olympics, Kenya topped the African medal count with 11 medals, which included four golds.
“The State recognized no athlete on today’s (Thursday) Jamhuri Day, as the list shows, yet we fill social media platforms with funny celebrations when they win. It is not amusing anyway. World record holders and Olympic medalists were also missed,” Yego posted on his social media handles.
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He went on to emphasize that if the country cannot honor its sports heroes during significant national holidays, it is disingenuous to flood social media with praises when they achieve international success.
“Please, next time, when they win, do not bother us with those social posts,” he concluded.
The 2015 world champion has faced a challenging season, securing his spot at the Olympics through world rankings.
His lone victory came at the African Championships, where he clinched a record fifth consecutive title.
However, much of the season has been a struggle, with injuries further complicating his performance.
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As he prepared for Zurich, he needed top results to secure a place among the top six qualifiers for the final, where a $30,000 (Ksh3.87 million) cash prize and the Diamond League Trophy were at stake.
His season’s best was recorded at the Paris Olympics, where he threw 87.72m to finish fifth overall, starting with an 85.97m throw, marking the first time he surpassed the 85m mark in 2024.
At the Lausanne Diamond League, he managed an 83m throw, finishing sixth—an improvement from his eighth-place finish at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he threw 78.37m.
Yego sprained his ankle after his first throw attempt during the 2024 Kipkeino Classic at the Nyayo National Stadium, before opting out after two further throws that measured 72.25m and 71m respectively.
The ankle was heavily strapped even before he picked up the sprain, and limped off the pitch under assistance from Olympics Team Doctor James Ondiege.
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