Update (August 1): Tharanga won the final, throwing 89.75 metres to take Sri Lanka’s first ever Commonwealth Games athletics gold medal. Neeraj Chopra took silver and Yashvir Singh bronze. Read the full report.
Sri Lanka’s national javelin champion Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, topping the qualification round on Thursday (July 30) with a throw of 82.84 metres.
The mark placed him first among all qualifiers, ahead of two Olympic gold medallists. India’s Neeraj Chopra finished fifth in the qualifying round with 79.61 metres, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem was seventh with 78.63 metres, Ada Derana reported.
Also advancing were India’s Rohit Yadav, ninth with 78.37 metres, and Yashvir Singh with 78.36 metres.
NewsFirst reported that the final is scheduled to begin at 12.45 a.m. on August 1, Sri Lanka time. Tharanga is currently ranked second in the world in the men’s javelin.
Sri Lanka’s second entrant in the event, Sumedha Ranasinghe, did not reach the qualifying standard and failed to progress to the final, according to the Daily Mirror.
The qualifying performance continues a strong season for Tharanga, who has competed on the Diamond League circuit through the year and has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent performer in the field events. It also comes days after compatriot Palitha Bandara claimed a silver medal at the same Games.
A medal in the final would rank among Sri Lanka’s most significant athletics results at a Commonwealth Games. Tharanga’s 82.84 metres in qualifying is short of his personal best set earlier this season, leaving room to improve in the final itself, where the two Olympic champions he beat on Thursday will also be competing.
