3 min readAug 1, 2026 03:02 AM IST
Rumesh Pathirage Tharanga of Sri Lanka produced a monster throw of 89.75m to clinch the Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medal defeating double Olympic medallist and former World champion Neeraj Chopra.
Along with Neeraj, he bested an elite field of reigning World champion Keshorn Walcott, reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, and former world champion Anderson Peters.
Competing in windy conditions, Pathirage registered only one legal throw but it was enough as Neeraj won silver medal with 85.83m while another Indian Yashvir Singh won bronze medal with a a new personal best of 85.41m.
Although it was not an unexpected result as the Sri Lankan is the best Javelin thrower in the world by a distance. He has a World lead of 92.62m and has won most of the competitions he has participated in.
At the Rome Diamond League, he became the first javelin thrower to cross the 90m mark in the 2026 season. The 23-year-old threw 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League on Thursday night to make the new meet record, new national record for Sri Lanka, and take the World lead.
After the qualification round, Rumesh also earned appreciation from Neeraj.
“He’s a good boy. He’s a friend of mine. This year he really threw well. It’s good he’s doing something great for Sri Lanka,” Neeraj had said.
Story continues below this ad
This is the first major medal of Pathirage’s career.
Who is Rumesh Pathirage?
A medium pacer turned thrower, Rumesh trains under his coach Tony Prasanna.“It was coach Tony who introduced me to javelin. He always tells me that if I master the basics and do them the right way, I will eventually reap the rewards. He is more than a coach. He doesn’t just teach me the sport but about life as well,” Rumesh had told The Indian Express in an earlier interview.
In his teenage days, Rumesh used to bowl at 130 kph and once nudged the speed gun to 134kph in the U18 category. He finished second to Eshan Malinga, who plays for Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Consistency has been a trademark of Rumesh throughout his career. Unlike the talented but erratic former Sri Lankan thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe, the first of his country to cross 85m and then slipped, Rumesh has consistently crossed 82m-mark (13 times in the 2025 season).
Story continues below this ad
“I had a successful season last year and finished seventh in my very first World Championships. Because of that, I am trying to push myself to achieve even more this season,” Rumesh had said.
