Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has risen to first place in the World Athletics men’s javelin throw rankings, becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to top the global standings in the event.
The 23-year-old leads the latest ranking list with a score of 1,354 points. Germany’s Julian Weber, who had held the top position, drops to second on 1,348, with Anderson Peters of Grenada third on 1,333. The World Athletics ranking table is dated 4 August.
The move to the summit follows Tharanga’s gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he threw 89.75 metres at Scotstoun Stadium to beat India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra into silver on 85.83 metres. Chopra now sits sixth in the world rankings on 1,282 points.
A rapid climb
Tharanga’s ascent has been steep. He was ranked third in the world in June, when Weber led the standings, and has moved to the top once the Commonwealth result entered the calculation.
Earlier in the season he won the men’s javelin at the Golden Gala in Rome with a throw of 92.62 metres, his maiden Diamond League victory and a Sri Lankan national record.
World Athletics rankings are calculated from an athlete’s average performance score across a set number of results over a rolling qualification window, with bonus points weighted by the standard of the competition. Championship finals such as the Commonwealth Games carry a higher placing bonus than regular meets, which is what lifted Tharanga above Weber.
Recognition at home
The Glasgow gold was Sri Lanka’s first ever Commonwealth Games gold in athletics and its first Commonwealth title in any sport in 20 years.
Tharanga returned to Colombo on Tuesday to a reception at Bandaranaike International Airport, and the Sri Lanka Air Force promoted him from Corporal to Sergeant the following day.
Sources: Ada Derana, NewsFirst.
