Julius Yego Lifts Lid on Kenyan Athletes' Struggles Ahead of Kip Keino Classic

As anticipation builds for the Kip Keino Classic at the Ulinzi Sports Complex this Saturday, Kenyan javelin star Julius Yego has raised concern over the plight of local athletes.

Yego, a 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, will be among the headline acts alongside Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, South Africa sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza, and two-time world champion Anderson Peters among other stars.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

Speaking to NTV, Yego reflected on the emotional and physical challenges athletes face, many of which go unseen by fans and federations alike.

"I remember in 2016, when I got injured in the process, I ended up winning the silver. So I received the news of winning the silver in a hospital bed. So you can imagine. The doctor was still attending me. I teared my groin," Yego recalled.

"So everybody was happy that Kenya has won a silver. But the person who has won a silver is barely walking."

"I was even assisted to climb the podium because my leg could not move. So all those things, the pain in you, but people are so happy. But then you can imagine what could have happened had I not won a medal. So all the negative things will come out now," he added.

Yego highlighted the mental toll of competing at the highest level, especially when the results don’t match the effort athletes put in.

"The pain that athletes go through is huge. You can imagine somebody who has not won a medal, and he or she has given all this in training, you know, the whole year," said Yego.

"The athlete has been, you know, training, training, training, and you miss to get a medal. And I think when I joined the Olympics in 2012 of my first ever, you know, appearance in the Olympics, there was chaos, you know, in the performance of Kenya team."

The Javelin star emphasized the need for psychological support, calling for sports federations to prioritize mental health services.

“We need to be having a psychologist going around all the training camps, you know, in all the sport, not only athletics, because it's affects across all sports. So we need to be having them," he said.

"Maybe Federation should be having their own psychologist so that, you know, these people can really, you know, those are the people who can help the athletes during that lowest moments."

Yego’s candid remarks come as the nation gears up to host some of Africa’s and the world’s top athletes at the Kip Keino Classic.