Kenyan athlete Julius Yego learns javelin throw on YouTube; wins gold at World Championships

Julius Yego wins the gold medal in javelin in the World Athletic Championships in Beijing

Kenyan athlete Julius Yego won the gold medal for Javelin in the World Athletic Championships in Beijing on Wednesday, after using YouTube to learn the sport. The player won the tournament after he let his javelin sail 92.72 meters, which was four meters shy of Jan Zelezny current world record.

The Czech set the World record of 98.48 meters in 1996 and has been unbeaten since. Even though the Kenyan was unable to beat any record, what is so impressive, is that the 26-year old accomplished this task by teaching himself.

The athlete made use of YouTube to improve his skill using videos of Zelezny and Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen as sources.

“My coach is me, and the YouTube videos,” admitted Yego when he was asked how he mastered this difficult skill.

When Yego was asked why he chose to train himself rather than look for help from professionals, he stated, “Everybody in Kenya is a runner”.

Kenya, who is known for producing some of the best track athletes in the world, do not have many coaches who can train players in lesser known disciplines, like javelin.

The sportsman, who was not ready to let such a matter interfere with his dreams, turned to the video sharing site for help although he claims the journey wasn't easy. While speaking to CNN in 2013, he said, “I watched YouTube and it really paid off for me, to see the training techniques and skills they are using.

“I do not have a coach, my motivation comes from within. Training without a coach is not an easy thing.”

- Julius Yego

Watch Julius Yego’s performance at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing which won him the coveted gold medal here: