Asian Games javelin champion Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage landed at Bandaranaike International Airport to a warm welcome on Thursday, and used the homecoming to press for better training facilities for Sri Lankan athletes rather than to celebrate the medal.
He won gold in the men’s javelin at Aichi-Nagoya on 28 September with a throw of 88.55 metres, becoming the first Sri Lankan to take an Asian Games title in the event.
The throw he did not get
Pathirage said his actual target had been the meet record, and that he missed it by about one metre despite winning.
Persistent rain made the final difficult, he said. The runway became slippery, the wet javelin grew heavier and harder to grip, and the rain affected his vision during the run-up, the Daily Mirror reported. He could not execute an optimal throw in those conditions.
What helped, he said, was the crowd. He thanked Sri Lankan spectators who had travelled hundreds of kilometres to watch, saying the sight of national flags in the stands was a significant boost.
The message
“Sri Lanka has considerable sporting talent, but many athletes struggle to produce their best performances at international competitions because they have limited exposure to international-standard facilities and track conditions,” he said.
He said tracks at major international meets differ substantially from what is available for training at home, leaving Sri Lankan athletes unaccustomed to the faster surfaces and conditions they meet abroad. He called on authorities to supply proper tracks, training environments and equipment instead of placing the emphasis solely on winning medals — and said he hoped concrete steps would follow.
It is a pointed way to frame the argument: the complaint is being made by the one athlete whose results are hardest to dismiss.
The year behind it
The Asian Games gold caps what NewsFirst described as a remarkable season. Pathirage has also taken a Commonwealth Games gold, a world title and the Diamond League Final, along with four Diamond League stage wins this year.
His Commonwealth gold came in Glasgow at the end of July with a throw of 89.75 metres, and his personal best and national record of 92.62 metres was set in Rome in June — both further than the mark that won in Japan, which is consistent with his account of the conditions.
Not reported
Neither outlet gives the Asian Games meet record he was chasing, names the officials who received him at the airport, or carries any response from the Ministry of Sports or the national athletics body to his call for facilities. Neither says what he competes in next.