Kenyan javelin thrower Julius Yego is set to receive millions in cash prize after finishing sixth in the men’s javelin final at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
Yego recorded a best throw of 80.23 meters in the final held on Sunday, September 13, earning approximately KSh1.81 million from the competition’s US$10 million prize fund.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the inaugural title with a throw of 91.09m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second with 86.18m while Germany’s Julian Weber was third with 85.89m.
The results placed Yego behind Walcott and Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem and ahead of Wegner and Thompson.
Only the top four athletes progressed to the final round of the competition. Nadeem’s 81.49m was his best mark of the competition.
“All field events will be straight finals. The horizontal jumps and throws will feature four rounds, with each of the eight athletes guaranteed two attempts. After the second round, the top six will get another attempt, followed by the top four in the final round, who will have one final attempt – 8-8-6-4 format,” World Athletics directs.
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Complete Men’s Javelin Results and Prize Money
| Position | Athlete | Country | Best Throw | Prize in KSh |
| 1 | Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage | Sri Lanka | 91.09m | KSh19.42 million |
| 2 | Anderson Peters | Grenada | 86.18m | KSh9.71 million |
| 3 | Julian Weber | Germany | 85.89m | KSh5.18 million |
| 4 | Keshorn Walcott | Trinidad & Tobago | 82.41m | KSh3.24 million |
| 5 | Arshad Nadeem | Pakistan | 81.49m | KSh2.07 million |
| 6 | Julius Yego | Kenya | 80.23m | KSh1.81 million |
| 7 | Dawid Wegner | Poland | 77.21m | KSh1.55 million |
| 8 | Curtis Thompson | USA | 75.80m | KSh1.29 million |
Julius Yego’s 2026 Results
The Budapest competition was Yego’s latest international appearance in the 2026 season, which has included the African Championships and several Diamond League meetings.
In May, Yego won the men’s javelin at the African Athletics Championships in Accra with a throw of 79.87m, securing his sixth African title in the event.
He opened his Diamond League campaign in Rabat on May 31, finishing fifth with 80.59m. He then recorded 79.89m for seventh place in Rome and 82.22m for sixth place in Doha. (
He also competed at the Kip Keino Classic at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium in April, where he finished fourth with 79.87m.
He later competed in the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels before traveling to Budapest for the Ultimate Championship. World Athletics lists his 2026 season’s best as 82.22m, achieved in Doha.
Yego’s Major Competitions
Yego entered the 2026 season after finishing sixth in the men’s javelin at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo at 85.54m in the final.
In 2025, he also won the men’s javelin at the Silesia Diamond League with a throw of 83.60m, nine years after his previous Diamond League win.
Earlier that year, he finished second at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in India with 84.51m, behind Chopra’s 86.18m.
His career record includes a World Championship gold medal in 2015, when he set the African record of 92.72m, and an Olympic silver medal at Rio 2016.
He also won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and has now collected six African Championship titles.
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Other Kenyans at the Ultimate Championship
Yego was among several Kenyan athletes selected for the inaugural competition in Budapest.
The Kenyan men’s team also included Emmanuel Wanyonyi competing in the 800m, Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech and Timothy Cheruiyot in the 1500m, and Jacob Krop and Cornelius Kemboi in the 5000m.
In the women’s events, Kenya was represented by Dorcus Ewoi in the 1500m and Mercy Adongo Oketch in the 400m.
Kenya also entered the mixed 4x400m relay.
The Ultimate Championship brought together 381 athletes from 65 federations across 28 disciplines at Budapest’s National Athletics Center.
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