Neeraj Chopra Left Behind As Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage Produces 92.62-Metre Stunner
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage came within touching distance of Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem's Asian record while clinching the men's javelin throw title at the Rome Diamond League 2026.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage marked his arrival at the pinnacle of Asian athletics with a monstrous throw of 92.62 metres at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome. The effort earned him a slot right between Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem and India's Neeraj Chopra in the list of Asian athletes to have covered the longest distance in the sport. Pathirage's effort was also the best throw in the world since the 2024 Olympic final. It earned him a clear victory over two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who was second with a throw of 83.91m, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson, who was third with 83.89m, according to World Athletics statistics.
His effort fell just short of Pakistani Arshad Nadeem's Paris Olympics gold-winning throw of 92.97m but went past Chinese Taipei's Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m) and Indian star Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) to produce the second best throw in Asia.
Pathirage became only the fourth Asian and 28th overall to breach the coveted the 90m mark. He came into Thursday's competition as the season leader in the world with his 89.37m throw in a domestic event in March. It was his first Diamond League title.
The Sri Lankan opened with 84.49 m, a mark that would have been good enough to win, before launching his second-round effort way beyond 90 metres. In the process, he became the first man in 2026, and the first Sri Lankan ever, to break the 90m barrier.
His 92.62m throw added more than two metres to the meeting record of 90.34m set by Andreas Thorkildsen 20 years ago. The effort moved Pathirage to eighth on the world all-time list and made him the second-best Asian thrower in history.
"I tried my best today to set a national record, and I managed to improve it by three metres," said Pathirage after the win. "Even though I had only two valid attempts today, I am very stable mentally. It was very hot in Rabat, but the weather in Rome is good and felt like ideal conditions in which to throw far. Winning today felt like a Sri Lankan festival."
RUMESH THARANGA PATHIRAGE 🇱🇰 FAIT SON ENTRÉE DANS LE CLUB DES 92M AU JAVELOT :
— MR.CARTER (@NelsonCarterJr) June 4, 2026
Le sri-lankais frappe un grand coup en réalisant 92.62M MR WL NR. Il devient ainsi le HUITIÈME meilleur performeur de l'histoire du lancer du javelot ! #Athlétisme #RomeDL pic.twitter.com/nuQTHoHnA1
The feat made the Sri Lankan only the fourth Asian to breach the 90m mark in the javelin. The others are Chinese Taipei's Cheng Chao-Tsun (PB 91.36m), India's former Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra (90.23m), and reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who has breached the mark multiple times.
Meanwhile, India's Sachin Yadav had a rather forgettable Diamond League debut in Rome, finishing eighth in a 10-man field, sandwiched between Olympic medallists Julius Yego and Jakub Vadlejch. His best throw measured 79.18m.
It was the 26-year-old Sachin Yadav's first international athletics meet since he finished a solid fourth at last year's World Championships in Tokyo with a personal best of 86.27m.
In Tokyo, Yadav had eclipsed his compatriot and two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, who finished an underwhelming eighth with 84.03m.
(With agency inputs)