Pathirage beats Chopra and Nadeem to win Commonwealth gold in javelin

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage made history with Sri Lanka’s first gold medal in athletics when he saw off a strong field to win the 2026 Commonwealth Games javelin final.

The 23-year-old faced the daunting prospect in Glasgow of battling the great Pakistan and India pairing of Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra, so long the top two in the discipline.

Nadeem, the defending champion who also won Olympic gold at Paris 2024, made a shock early exit after three throws on a blustery evening at Scotstoun Stadium.

The going wasn’t much easier for Pathirage, who only registered one legitimate thrown in his first five efforts.

That, however, was enough to seal goal with a throw of 89.75 metres.

Chopra put an injury-plagued year behind him to secure silver with a season best of 85.83, while his compatriot, Yash Vir Singh, threw a personal best of 85.41 to claim bronze.

Five of the finalists had thrown over 90 metres in their career, including world champion Keshorn Walcott. The Trinidad and Tobago star struggled with his first five throws and only managed 82.55 metres with his last to place sixth.

Pathirage started off as a fast bowler in cricket, where he was clocked – as a teenager – at a speed of 134 kilometres an hour.

The record speed registered in cricket was 161.3 kilometres an hour, bowled by Pakistan great Shoaib Akhtar, who held the nickname ‘The Rawalpindi Express’.

Sri Lankan cricket’s loss has clearly been the gain of the rest of the nation.