Rumesh Pathirage: Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage won the gold medal at the Asian Games. He also won the gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Before taking up javelin, he played cricket.

Rumesh Pathirage

Sri Lanka's star javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage won the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday (September 28). Rumesh captured the gold medal with a throw of 88.55 meters. Pathirage, who previously played cricket as a fast bowler, also won the gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, finishing behind India's Neeraj Chopra in that event.

India's javelin thrower Yashvir Singh finished behind him at the Asian Games. Yashvir won the silver medal with a throw of 85.72 meters. India's Rohit Yadav took the bronze with a throw of 84.35 meters.

He threw 89.75 meters in the Commonwealth Games.

At the Commonwealth Games, Rumesh Pathirage won the gold medal with a throw of 89.75 meters. Neeraj Chopra finished second with a throw of 85.83 meters, winning the silver medal. India's Yashvir Singh won the bronze medal with a throw of 85.41 meters.

Cricketer-turned-javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage

Romesh Pathirage played cricket as a child. It's said he could bowl at speeds of up to 130 km/h. Romesh played cricket for a long time. His father was a shot put athlete. Following his father's advice, Pathirage tried his hand at javelin. He has now become a renowned athlete, winning gold medals at major events.

He has also crossed the 90-meter mark.

In 2026 alone, Romesh Pathirage has already surpassed the 90-meter mark twice. On June 4th, he threw 92.62 meters at the Roma Diamond League. Then, on August 27th, he threw 92.07 meters at the Zurich Diamond League. This marks his second time surpassing the 90-meter mark this year. His stature is gradually increasing.