Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has announced his arrival on the global stage with a stunning javelin throw of 92.62 meters at the Rome Diamond League, surpassing Indian star Neeraj Chopra and sending a clear warning to rivals ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games later this year.
A historic performance
The 23-year-old Pathirage produced the second-longest throw in Asian history, only behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem's Olympic gold-winning 92.97m. He surpassed Chinese Taipei's Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m) and Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) to claim the Rome title. His effort is also the eighth longest in world all-time list and the best globally since the 2024 Olympic final.
Pathirage dominated the field, defeating two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada (83.91m), Tokyo 2025 world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago (83.45m), and USA's Curtis Thompson (83.89m). India's Sachin Yadav finished eighth with 79.18m in his Diamond League debut.
Fourth Asian to breach 90m
Pathirage became only the fourth Asian and 28th overall to cross the 90-meter mark. He entered the competition as the world season leader with an 89.37m throw in a domestic event in March, and improved it dramatically in Rome.
His rise has been meteoric: from a personal best of 76.45m in 2023, he improved to 85.45m in 2024, 86.50m in 2025, and now 92.62m in 2026.
From fast bowler to javelin star
Pathirage initially pursued cricket, aiming to become a fast bowler. At the under-18 level, he bowled at 134 km/h and was the second-fastest in a national talent hunt in 2019. He later switched to athletics under his father's guidance, a former discus and shot-put thrower, and took up javelin full-time in 2017.
Regular competitor in India
Since 2024, Pathirage has frequently competed in India. He participated in the National Inter-State Championships in Panchkula, won gold at the South Asian Athletics Championships in Ranchi (84.29m), and also won the Indian Open World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour in Bhubaneswar (86.50m).
He and Neeraj Chopra have faced each other twice, with a 1-1 record. Chopra won the NC Classic in Bengaluru in June 2025, while Pathirage finished third. At the Tokyo World Championships, Chopra placed fourth and Pathirage seventh.
What's next?
Pathirage will compete in the Golden Spike in Ostrava on June 16 and the Doha Diamond League on June 19. He expressed his ambition to break the Asian record, missing it by just 30cm in Rome. Chopra, currently training in Switzerland after injury, has not yet announced his season opener. The two could meet at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July-August and the Asian Games in Japan in September-October. If Nadeem also participates, the competitions will be highly unpredictable.
