Julius Yego: from YouTube to Olympic silver in the javelin

YouTube is the great video sharing platform, and that means it's also a useful tool for learning. On this platform you can upload both theoretical classes enlivened with animations and audio-essays, reflections and even documentary pieces for dissemination.

But... Can you also learn a sport modality? The Kenyan Julius Yego is living proof that the answer to this question is yes, because starting from a YouTube tutorial he has won an Olympic medal in the latest edition of the Olympic Games.

The story of Julius Yego

A large part of the poorest countries in Africa export athletes specialized in running, among other things, because the conditions to start training in this sport are not expensive.. Elite athletes can have specialized training centers, the attention of personal trainers and a follow-up plan that includes nutrition and exercises, but the first months consist of finding a few minutes a day to run. Julius Yego tried to carve out a future by running the 100 meter sprint at times when he did not have to He was helping his parents on the farm, but when he saw that he was not getting the expected results, he opted for the javelin.

The javelin throw is a sport that requires a greater investment of money, but Julius solved this inconvenience by making his own material. At that point he was able to begin to develop the basic skills to throw the javelin, although his lack of resources was a serious drawback: he could not find a coach to help him.

Getting started with the help of YouTube

Since he couldn't find help in his country of origin, Julius turned to that space where physical borders disappear: the Internet. If he wanted to become the next Andreas Thorkildsen he had to learn strategies and methods to improve in the discipline of javelin throwing on his own, without depending on someone in particular.

And that's how he got to YouTube, the place where he could watch Thorkildsen's releases over and over again. The videos of this athlete were transformed, without his knowledge, into a tutorial that he was using someone in very bad conditions to train. The example of Andreas Thorkildsen had such a strong impact on Julius's life that he the videos of him were transformed into a kind of virtual high performance center.

Julius's progress

Transforming learning from videos into a habit, Julius went on to win his first national title a few months after starting; but there was not much competition, as the javelin throw was not popular in Kenya. The real challenge came at the 2012 Olympic Games, in which Julius was the first representative of his country to appear in this sport. In that year, thanks to his efforts, he managed to be among the two best pitchers in the world; a preview of what was to come and of his promising career.

In the year 205, Julius Yego achieved a title of world champion, throwing the javelin at 92.72 meters and creating the third record in history, being the world record of 98.48. At the recent Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, got the money.

The potential of self-learning

Julius Yego's story gives a sample of the possibilities that can arise from the combination of effort and the use of new technologies available to almost everyone. Knowing how to manage the latter and promote the former may be the key to ensuring that the lives of many people are structured by important and significant projects for them, as long as they can count on the means and on the referents whose example can be continue.