(Photo: AP/Lee Jim-man)
Julius Yego of Kenya didn't have a world-famous coach. In fact, he didn't have a coach at all. He got his start by watching YouTube videos and practicing what he saw. Yego made it to the 2012 Olympics, placing 12th, by teaching himself. At the time, he said, "My coach is me, and my YouTube videos."
Now, with a professional coach, he's refined his technique. At the recent world championships in Beijing, he threw a javelin 92.72 meters, which is farther than anyone else has in 14 years.
-via Glenn Reynolds