Yego opens up on season-opening Doha showdown, next competition

'YouTube Man' Julius Yego says he is happy with his 78.52m throw for ninth place at the Doha Diamond League, as the former world champion opened his 2025 season. 

Up against a star-studded field, Yego was making a return to competitive javelin for the first time since his 69.61m throw for tenth place at the Zurich Diamond League (DL) on 5 September 2024. 

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"First competition is very unpredictable since it's all about dusting off and remove the rust and it was today (sic)," Yego wrote after his feat. 

"78.52m as best (of the) season is a bonus, (in my) first competition of the year and almost 4 months since last competition. Healthy and physically very okay this year (sic)," he continued, adding that it might no be what is expected of him but is happy with the day's outcome.

The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist is eager for the next competition, which he says will be at the National Police championships slated for 20-22 May, a decision that seems to stem from the postponement of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in India, which was set for 24 May. 

"I'm thrilled to be coming to India for the first ever Neeraj Chopra Classic. His journey has inspired so many and now there's a whole meet in his name. I have heard the crowd energy in India is unreal and I can't wait to be there," Yego had said about his impending trip to India before the postponement.

Meanwhile, the javelin’s 90-metre club, which Yego is part of as he carries a 92.72m personal best (PB) from his world-title winning throw in Beijing 2015, gained two new members at the Doha Meeting with Chopra throwing an Indian record of 90.23m before Julian Weber snatched victory with a last-round throw of 91.06m.

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Both men had thrown beyond 89 metres on several occasions in recent years, with their PBs – 89.94m for Chopra and 89.54m for Weber – dating back to 2022. In the Qatari capital, though, they finally bettered the hallowed barrier, becoming the 25th and 26th men to throw beyond 90 metres.

Chopra, the world champion, opened with 88.44m to take an early lead, while Weber started with a more conservative 83.82m. Chropa then produced his PB throw in round three, breaking his own Indian record with 90.23m, then Weber responded with 89.06m.

Chopra didn’t improve on his third effort and closed out his series with a solid 88.20m, but Weber finished with a flourish, throwing 89.84m in round five then a world-leading 91.06m to take victory in the final round. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters was third with 85.64m.

It was just the seventh time in history that two men have thrown beyond 90 metres in the same javelin competition. Weber now moves to 17th on the world all-time list while Chopra sits at 24th.

"I don't know how that happened," said Weber, the 2022 European champion. "The previous weeks weren't that good for me, but today I just felt great. It also was the winning throw in the last round, so it came out really perfect.

The conditions here in Doha with the backwind is great for us javelin throwers. If you make the right adjustments and throw a little higher, it just flies great.

I was really happy for Neeraj because he had been fighting for that 90-metre throw for some time and it was really special to achieve it tonight."