Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage wins Asian Games javelin gold

Sri Lanka’s javelin star Rumesh Pathirage has continued his near-unbeaten streak this year by clinching gold at the Asian Games, as India’s Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav grabbed silver and bronze.

Pathirage topped the podium with 88.55m in his final throw on Monday, while Singh, who won bronze at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, upgraded to silver with a personal best of 85.72m and Yadav took bronze with 84.35m.

Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem could only muster 80.29m to finish fourth.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera earlier this month, Pathirage said he was eyeing Nadeem’s Asian record of 92.97m set at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

World number one Pathirage got off to a shaky start with a dismal 73.53m — the only throw he’s had below 80m this season — before returning to form in the second round.

He then launched a massive 88.33m in his fourth throw to eclipse the Indian duo and all but secure his gold medal. A no-throw in his fifth attempt was bettered with 88.55m in his sixth to claim the continental crown.

The victory capped off an unprecedented season for Pathirage, who entered the Asian Games having won all but one of the competitions he’s contested this year.

Monday’s win was the final addition to his trophy cabinet with golds from the Commonwealth Games, the Diamond League final and the inaugural Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

Pathirage, 23, became the only thrower this season and fourth in history to breach the 92m mark in a year — a rare feat in javelin.

He catapulted to the top ranks when he threw a mammoth 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League in June, which became a new national record that still stands as the world lead this year. He then launched 92.07m to claim gold at the Zurich Diamond League in August.

In the women’s final, China’s 18-year-old Yan Ziyi obliterated the Games record of 66.09m with her first and only throw of 70.46m.

The teen sensation has enjoyed a breakout season that saw her break the Asian record in May by throwing 71.74m.

Like Pathirage, she has dominated javelin all year, save for the Ultimate Championships, where she managed a silver after retiring injured, while Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi took the crown with a national record of 68.92m.

Kitaguchi could only muster 62.70m on her final attempt in Nagoya to finish with silver, while compatriot Sae Takemoto threw a season’s best 62.15m for bronze in front of the home crowd.