Rome Diamond League 2026: Rumesh Pathirage breaks record for second longest throw by an Asian in men’s javelin
The 23-year-old became the first to reach 90m this season and moved to eighth on the all-time javelin list.
- On Thursday at the Rome Diamond League, Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage threw 92.62m to set a new meet and national record, securing the World lead.
- Rumesh has dominated the 2026 season as the first thrower to cross the 90m mark, building on an 89.37m throw in March and 89.28m at the Kip Kenio Classic in April.
- Unlike former thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe, Rumesh maintains consistency under coach Tony Prasanna, crediting his success to mastering the basics after finishing seventh at the World Championships.
- Indian Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav finished eighth on his Diamond League debut with 79.18m, failing to cross the 80m mark required for Commonwealth Games qualification.
- Rumesh's rise positions him among elite javelin throwers for the upcoming Asian Games, which will feature Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra and reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage threw a top score of 92.62 in Rome and became the new number one name in the javelin season.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage surpasses Neeraj Chopra's mark in Rome Diamond League
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage became the first javelin thrower to cross the 90-metre mark in the 2026 season after recording a world-leading 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League on Thursday. It set a new meet record and a national record in the process. He also surpassed Neeraj Chopra’s record, who hit the 90.23-metre mark in the Doha Diamond League in 2025. Meanwhile, the throw elevated him to eighth place on the all-time list. He became the secon…
92.62m monster! Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga surpasses Neeraj Chopra to record second-longest javelin throw in Asia
More sports News: Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced the second-best javelin throw ever by an Asian athlete, going past both Chinese Taipei's Chao-Tsun Chen.
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