World Athletics vice-president Adille Sumariwalla has praised Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage’s Diamond League Rome heroics while urging measured expectations for India’s two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, Ada Derana reported, citing Olympics.com.
Pathirage’s 92.62-metre winning throw at the Stadio Olimpico last Thursday fell 35 centimetres short of Pakistan Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem’s Asian record and the Paris 2024 gold-medal mark. The performance placed Pathirage alongside Chopra and Nadeem as the third 90-metre talent currently active on the men’s javelin circuit from the Indian subcontinent, and pushed him to seventh in the world javelin rankings.
Chopra’s personal best of 90.23 metres — his only 90-metre-plus mark, set at the 2025 Doha Diamond League — has now been bettered twice. The 28-year-old, who lost his world title in Tokyo with an eighth-place finish while battling a back injury, will face Pathirage and Nadeem as he opens a new season pointing towards Los Angeles 2028.
“Let Neeraj enjoy the sport. There is no need to put unnecessary pressure on him regarding which events he should compete in. He has already achieved so much for Indian athletics. The important thing is that he remains healthy, enjoys competing and continues performing at the highest level,” Sumariwalla told Olympics.com.
In January, Chopra parted ways with Czech coach Jan Zelezny after a year-long stint of mixed results; the partnership had been due to run through the 2026 season. Zelezny made technical adjustments that helped Chopra cross 90 metres for the first time at Doha in May 2025, and the Indian also won the Paris Diamond League and the Ostrava Golden Spike under his guidance. Chopra was previously coached by German biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz, who oversaw his Tokyo 2020 gold and Paris 2024 silver and his 2023 World Championships title.
Pathirage’s rise has been steady through 2026, from a silver-medal 85.97m at the Rabat Diamond League on May 31 to the Rome performance and a top-five place in updated World Athletics season rankings.
