Sri Lankan youngster Rumesh Tharanga has created history for his country at the prestigious Diamond League javelin throw competition in Rome. The 23-year-old Tharanga, who took the field in the absence of Asian stars, stunned everyone in the competition by throwing the javelin to a distance of 92.62 meters.
Tharanga's performance was not only a turning point in his career, but also took Sri Lankan athletics history to new heights. In the competition, Tharanga threw the season's best throw (92.62 meters) in his second attempt to secure the number one spot. Notably, he surpassed Neeraj Chopra’s best throw of 90.23 metres in the Doha Diamond League last year.Tharanga's single throw broke several old world records. He became the first person in the world to break the 90-meter barrier in the 2026 season. With this effort, he also broke the 20-year-old meeting record set by Norwegian legend Andreas Thorkildsson of 90.34 metres in Rome two decades ago.He has registered the second-longest throw by an Asian Athelete and is the fourth Asian javelin thrower to cross the 90-meter mark. Former world champion Anderson Peters came in second with 83.91 meters, and American Curtis Thompson came in third. He also broke the national record set by a Sri Lankan javelin thrower.
