• He threw a season's best of 87.72m behind Pakistani Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record of 92.97m, Neeraj Chopra of India (89.45m - SB), Anderson Peters of Grenada (88.54m) and Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic (88.50 m).
• Yego said: "The problem is not the athletes. It lies in the support and coaching system(s)."
Image: NOCJ
The 2016 Olympics silver medallist Julius Yego says the country must rethink their strategy in athletics development.
The 2015 world champion is concerned the country is lagging as global sports advance. Yego spoke after finishing fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France on Thursday night.
He threw a season's best of 87.72m behind Pakistani Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record of 92.97m, Neeraj Chopra of India (89.45m - SB), Anderson Peters of Grenada (88.54m) and Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic (88.50 m).
While defending Team Kenya against accusations of not giving their best at the Games, with just one gold, one silver and three bronze medals (as of Friday morning), Yego said: "The problem is not the athletes. It lies in the support and coaching system(s)."
"We can't continue like this. If we do, we will lose it. You can tell by the results we are getting from this Olympics. Big difference."
"If the athletes have the support and the infrastructure for training, they will be able to compete at the top level," he added.
"I see many complaints back home about the performance, but we need to appreciate where we are. Everything has changed. Training has changed. The approach to championships has changed too," he said.
"But I don't want to talk about it anymore. When I do, it becomes an issue. So I leave it there. I hope things will change for the better of the sport," said Yego while lamenting about the lack of a youth setup to nurture throwers.
And despite failing to hit his target, 90m+, which would have put him on the podium, Yego is content with his performance, especially coming off the back of a troubled season.
"When I got injured, the treatment took a toll on me, financially. I had to ensure I was healthy to compete here. That's why I complained. Sometimes it's difficult to keep digging into my pocket to fund training and equipment," he said.
"It's a joke that I am at this Olympics," he said. "But I'm going home a happy man. I should celebrate considering where I've been in the last few months and where I've reached (Olympic final)."
He loved the competition and the atmosphere inside a packed Stade de France.
"It's nice. I enjoyed it. I can't complain. The best in my career. Somebody with 88.50m not getting a bronze medal shows the competition was high. I expected it. I was ready for it. I gave my best," he said.
"The crowd kept us going and the track itself is wonderful. Good for javelin."
He added: "Congratulations to the winners. I think it's the first time that we are not having a European athlete in the top three. That shows that javelin has gone global."
He is not done yet. "I'm sure I'll have a few competitions before the season ends. I'll try a bigger distance."
He is happy his efforts are paying off and will strive to stay fit and keep his place in the sport for as long as he can.
"I will go back to where I was training alone. I don't need to change my programme."