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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
General Interest | |
| Milestones | He became the first athlete to represent Kenya in javelin throw at the Olympic Games when he competed at the 2012 Games in London. He also competed at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he won silver in javelin and became the first Kenyan competitor to finish on the podium in a field event at the Olympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jul 2020; nbcolympics.com, 09 May 2012) He became the first Kenyan athlete to win a medal in a field event at the world championships by claiming gold in javelin throw at the 2015 edition of the tournament in Beijing, People's Republic of China. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jul 2020; iaaf.org, 28 May 2016; nation.co.ke, 26 Aug 2015) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Quitters never win." (Facebook profile, 08 Jun 2020) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Son Jarvis |
General Interest | |
| Awards and honours | He was captain of the Kenya team at the 2019 Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco, and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (nation.co.ke, 18 Mar 2020; africa.cgtn.com, 01 Sep 2019) In 2015 he was named Kenyan Athletics Field Athlete of the Year and Kenyan Athletics Male Athlete of the Year. (nation.co.ke, 11 Dec 2015) He was named the 2013 Kenyan Athletics Field Athlete of the Year. (standardmedia.co.ke, 01 Dec 2013) In 2011 he was named Kenyan Athlete of the Year and came third in the Kenyan Sports Personality Awards. (michezoafrika.com, 18 Apr 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Joseph Musonik [personal], KEN |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began competing in athletics in 2003. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Police Officer |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Mr YouTube Man (nation.co.ke, 26 Aug 2015) |
| Other information | SUCCESSION PLAN He is due to make his third Olympic appearance at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and does not believe he will still be competing by the time the 2024 Games in Paris come around. "I am hoping for somebody to come along who will follow in my footsteps. After all these years I am still the only Kenyan to have thrown further than 80 metres. I have a training partner, but he hasn't achieved this distance yet. I wish the federation would provide us with more support, because javelin throwing competitions are still very rare in Kenya. We need fresh blood." (dw.com, 03 Apr 2020) FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. (Facebook profile, 08 Jun 2020) INTERNET INSTRUCTION He watched videos on YouTube to help improve his technique early in his career, which earned him the nickname 'Mr YouTube Man'. "I did not have a coach, my motivation came from within as my father wanted me to give up the javelin and concentrate on running like all the other Kenyan athletes. Training without a coach was not an easy thing, but watching YouTube really paid off for me, to see the training techniques and skills that the athletes were using." (businessinsider.com, 26 Aug 2015; iaaf.org, 09 Jun 2015; nation.co.ke, 26 Aug 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Nairobi, KEN |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | He competed in a 10,000m event and finished third, but was lapped twice by the two leading runners. He decided to switch to javelin after that experience, as he had enjoyed watching javelin throwers from an early age. "I used to watch the guys throw a wooden javelin at primary school and I had that inner feeling I could throw better if I tried. My brother [Henry Kiprono] was doing well in javelin, so I tried my luck." |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Norwegian javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen, Finnish javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki. (businessinsider.com, 26 Aug 2015; nation.co.ke, 26 Aug 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English, Swahili |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He injured his ankle and his groin at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but was still able to win a silver medal at the Games. The injuries affected his career for the next three years. (tokyo2020.org, 13 May 2020; bbc.co.uk, 21 Mar 2020; africa.cgtn.com, 01 Sep 2019) |
| Ambitions | To win gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (dw.com, 03 Apr 2020) |