The Sri Lanka Air Force has promoted javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga from Corporal to Sergeant, a day after he returned home with the country’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in athletics.
Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe conferred the promotion at Air Force Headquarters on Wednesday, in recognition of the athlete’s performance in Glasgow and his earlier sporting record, Ada Derana and NewsFirst reported.
Tharanga won the men’s javelin title at Scotstoun Stadium with a throw of 89.75 metres, beating India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra into second place. It was Sri Lanka’s first ever Commonwealth Games gold in athletics, and the country’s first Commonwealth title in any sport in 20 years.
Rewards for the support team
The Air Force Commander also presented Tharanga with a special financial reward.
Cash awards went to two members of his support staff: coach Tony Prasanna and physiotherapist Corporal Chandima Gurusinghe, recognised for their part in preparing the athlete for the Games.
Tharanga arrived back in Colombo on Tuesday afternoon alongside para discus silver medallist Palitha Bandara, landing at Bandaranaike International Airport to a reception at the VIP terminal under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne.
Serving athletes are routinely attached to the armed forces in Sri Lanka, which run the country’s largest sports programmes, and promotion is the standard institutional reward for a major international result.
Sources: Daily Mirror, Ada Derana, NewsFirst.
