Yego out as Kenya faces defining night in Tokyo

Former world javelin champion Julius Yego saw his Olympic ambitions vanish on Wednesday after failing to hit the qualifying mark at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

Yego, whose latter career has been plagued by injuries, made a season best of throw of 77.34m with his third attempt after he had failed to register a legal throw in the opening attempt.

He finished 11th in the second heat of the qualifying where competitors needed to achieve an automatic qualification mark of 83.50m.

That heat was won by 24-year-old Pakistan Arshad Nadeem who threw an 85.16 on his second attempt with Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic and German Julian Weber also going through.

With Yego out after opening morning session here in Tokyo, Kenya is facing a defining night ahead after an underwhelming opening to the Games so far.

The athletics powerhouse has bagged just two medals so far and appears to be loosening its grip of competitions they have long dominated.

The mood around camp and indeed of the nation could be lifted tonight with Kenya set to have some world class representation on the day’s 3000m steeplechase and 800m finals.

World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and the 2015 world champion Hyvin Kiyeng of Kenya will begin as favourites having cruised to the final last Sunday.

Kiyeng, who took silver in Rio five years ago, will be hoping for a gold this time and looked steady in her heat.

She will be joined by Chepkoech, the 2019 world champion who broke the world record in 2018 with a stunning 8:44.32 performance in Monaco.

She finished fourth at the 2016 Olympics and at the 2017 World Championships but her career has witnessed exceptional growth from then on, winning 17 of her 19 races she entered between throughout 2018 and 2019.

However, she has had an uncharacteristically dismal 2021, failing to win any of her races this year and has twice to Kiyeng who also beat her at the Kenyan trials in June.

The Kenyan duo will expect competition from Asian Games gold medallist Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile, who was fastest in qualifying after winning her race with a time of 9:10.80.

Also contending will be Courtney Frerichs, who impressively defeated Chepkoech to win her race with a 9:19.34 run and her American compatriot Emma Coburn, a bronze medalist at Rio 2016.

African Games champion Mekides Abebe of Ethiopia owns the second fastest performance this year of 9:02.52, behind Mutile, and is also expected to challenge.

Kenya has never won and gold in this event, which was only added to the Olympic programme in 2008.

New King?

Kenya will look to take gold for the fourth straight Olympics in the men’s 800m final with world bronze medalist Ferguson Rotich and Emmanuel Korir leading that charge.

Rotich cruised into the final with the fastest run of the semi-final on Sunday, setting himself up as a strong contender to succeed compatriot David Rudisha as the new king of the two-lap race.

Double Olympic gold medallist Rudisha’s persistent injuries denied him the chance to defend his title, opening the way for a new champion to emerge.

Rotich, who finished fifth at his Olympic debut in Rio, clocked 1:44.04 and was so confident as he approached the end of his race that he looked behind to encourage those trailing him to keep up as he crossed the line.

His compatriot Korir, who came to Japan boasting this year’s second-fastest run, also went through. He will be making a first time appearance in the final of a major global event.

Botswana’s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos, who owns the fastest time this year, will be a chief contender for the title.

Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will look to book her place in the 1500m final for potential clash with Sifan Hassan who will race in the other semi that has another Kenyan Edinah Jebitok.