Top Sri Lanka javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga made history in the annals of the local athletics sphere by finishing seventh at the 20th World Athletics Championships (WAC) men’s javelin throw final in Tokyo recently
The 22-year-old from St. Peter’s College, the youngest among the 12 finalists, showed his best throw of 84.38 m on his first try to secure the seventh place – a momentous feat for Sri Lankan athletics.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago got Gold with 87.83 m, Anderson Peters of Grenada grabbed Silver with 87.38 m, while Bronze went to the US’s Curtis Thompson, who threw 86.67 m.
Tharanga, who became the first Sri Lankan male athlete to reach a World Championship final, thus produced his country’s finest-ever performance by a male athlete in the event’s history.
This was his first-ever World Championship presence and he ended it in fine style.
The national record holder trained by Tony Prasanna and who qualified for Japan directly, was joined at the meet by compatriot Sumedha Ranasinghe, who unfortunately missed out on the final.
Tharanga’s determination also stands as the best finish to date by any Sri Lankan athlete (male or female) at a global athletics event, since sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe’s Bronze in the 200 m at the 2007 edition held in Osaka, Japan.
The men’s javelin throw final was fiercely contested, featuring eight Olympic medallists, including three Olympic champions, along with nine World Championship medallists.
Among them were Walcott (2012 Olympic champion), Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan (2024 Olympic champion), Neeraj Chopra of India (2021 Olympic and 2023 World Champion), Julius Yego of Kenya (2015 World Champion), and Peters (2019 and 2022 World Champion).
Even with the star-studded cast, Tharanga managed to upstage Olympic and World Champion Chopra, who finished eighth, and Pakistan’s Olympic medallist Nadeem, who was placed 10th, thus further underscoring his prowess.
Sinhala 
English