The achievement was celebrated widely in Sri Lanka, with former cricket captain and batting great Kumar Sangakkara praising the young thrower
Published: August 1, 2026, 3:30 PM IST
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Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage competes during the Men’s Javelin Throw Final during the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, July 31, 2026(Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara had nothing but words of praise for Rumesh Pathirage after the latter defeated India’s Neeraj Chopra to claim his first-ever gold medal in Javelin Throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 yesterday in GlasgowThis was Pathirage’s maiden podium finish at the games.
The 23-year-old became only the fifth Sri Lankan athlete to claim a Commonwealth Games gold medal after producing a winning throw of 89.75 metres on his second attempt at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.
Pathirage’s performance was remarkable because he managed just one valid throw in the final, while the rest of his five attempts ended in foulsHowever, that one effort proved enough to secure the top spot on the podium in a high-quality field.
India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra finished with the silver medal after recording a best throw of 85.83mAnother Indian athlete, Yash Vir Singh, took bronze with a personal-best effort of 85.41m.
The achievement was celebrated widely in Sri Lanka, with former cricket captain and batting great Kumar Sangakkara praising the young throwerTaking to X, Sangakkara wrote, “Incredible and proud day for Sri Lanka,”
Pathirage’s journey to the top has been an interesting oneHe was once a promising fast bowler and could bowl at speeds of around 134 kmph at the Under-18 levelHe later switched to athletics under the guidance of coach Tony Prasanna, a move that changed his sporting career completelyHis success has now become one of the biggest stories in Sri Lankan sport.
The gold medal also ended a long wait for Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth GamesThe country had not won a gold medal in the event for 20 years, since weightlifter Chinthana Vidanage won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
The competition also saw some big names miss out on medalsGrenada’s 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist Anderson Peters finished fourth with 83.88m, while Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem had a disappointing outing, ending ninth with 77.41m.
Also Read: Commonwealth Games 2026: Tejaswin Shankar wins India’s first-ever medal in men’s Decathlon
Pathirage had shown signs of form in the qualification round as wellAlthough he missed the automatic qualification mark of 84m, his best throw of 82.84m was enough to top the qualifiers.
