Brussels, Sept 7:
Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage created history by becoming the first athlete from his country to win a Diamond League title, producing a massive 89.04-metre effort at the season finale in Brussels.
The 23-year-old world No. 1 delivered the winning throw in his third attempt at the King Baudouin Stadium, capping a sensational season with one of the biggest performances of his career.
Poland’s Dawid Wegner finished second with a personal best of 87.47 metres, while former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago took third with a season-best 83.99 metres. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters was fourth with 83.70 metres.
Pathirage’s triumph adds another major milestone to what has been a breakthrough season for Sri Lankan athletics. His 89.04m effort was far beyond the rest of the field and confirmed his status as the leading javelin thrower in the world this year.
The victory was particularly notable in the absence of India’s Neeraj Chopra, who has been one of the dominant figures in world javelin in recent years. Pathirage seized the opportunity and produced a throw that placed him among the elite performers of the event.
The Sri Lankan had already established himself as a major force during the season, but winning the Diamond League final represents the biggest title of his career.
The result also gives Sri Lanka its first Diamond League championship in athletics and places Pathirage in a select group of athletes to have won the prestigious season-ending title.
With the World Athletics circuit continuing to produce a new generation of javelin stars, Pathirage’s emergence adds another major name to an event that has become one of the most competitive disciplines in international athletics.