Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka produced a throw of 89.75m to clinch the gold medal in men’s javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Neeraj Chopra came up with a season best throw of 85.83m but could only manage to win the silver medal.
Yashvir Singh stunned everyone with a 85.41m to make it a double podium finish for India with a bronze medal. It did not come as a big surprise as Pathirage has been enjoying a brilliant run of form lately and he has a World lead of 92.62m. He was the first javelin thrower to breach the 90m mark in the 2026 season at the Rome Diamond League.
Who is Rumesh Pathirage?
Pathirage used to be a cricketer who bowled medium pace before becoming a javelin thrower and he is currently trained by 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 told The Indian Express in an interview.
During his cricket playing days, he used to bowl at 130 kmph and even touched 134kmph in the U18 category. He was the second-fastest bowler in the category behind Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Eshan Malinga.
He made a successful transition to javelin and became the first Sri Lankan athlete to cross the 85m mark.
“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.
Neeraj noted that Pathirage needed just one quality attempt to secure victory.
“Only one good throw is enough,” Neeraj said. “He had one good throw today, and I also had only one decent throw.”
Although pleased to return to the podium, Neeraj said his primary objective remains improving with every competition as he builds towards the rest of the season.
“Definitely, there’s still room to improve,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve improved a lot this season. I could have done even better. The aim now is to keep improving gradually in the next competitions.”