TOKYO - Former cricketer Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage delivered Sri Lanka's first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by winning the men's javelin throw earlier this week.
"This year is a very good season," Pathirage said after winning with a commanding throw of 88.55 meters to add the Asian Games title to victories at the elite Diamond League Final and the inaugural Ultimate Championship.
A former cricket player whose powerful arm once produced deliveries of more than 130 kilometers per hour, Pathirage took up the javelin inspired by his father. Skills developed through cricket helped accelerate his development, he said.
After finishing seventh at last year's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Pathirage emerged as one of the world's leading throwers this season.
The 23-year-old recorded a world-leading throw of 92.62 meters in June and has repeatedly delivered on major international stages.
Javelin has long been a strong event in South Asia, with India's Neeraj Chopra winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem triumphing at the Paris Olympics.
"My first target was to be Diamond League champion, and the second target was to be Ultimate champion...and last, Asian Games champion. I was able do it in all the competitions," Pathirage said.
The Sri Lankan has already shifted his focus to bigger goals, targeting next year's World Athletics Championships in China and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
