Rome, June 5 (IANS) After Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced the best javelin throw of his career to smash the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting record with a world-leading 92.62m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome, he said winning the event feels like a Sri Lankan festival.

The Sri Lankan opened with 84.49m – a mark that would have been good enough to win – before launching his second-round effort way beyond 90 metres. In the process, he became the first man in 2026, and the first Sri Lankan ever, to break 90m.

His 92.62m added more than two metres to the meeting record of 90.34m set by Andreas Thorkildsen 20 years ago, moved Pathirage to eighth on the world all-time list and made him the second-best Asian thrower in history.

It was also the best throw in the world since the 2024 Olympic final, and secured him a clear victory over two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who was second with 83.91m, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson, who was third with 83.89m, according to World Athletics stats.

“I tried my best today to set a national record and I managed to improve it by three metres,” said Pathirage after the win. “Even though I had only two valid attempts today, I am very stable mentally. It was very hot in Rabat, but the weather in Rome is good and felt like ideal conditions in which to throw far. Winning today felt like a Sri Lankan festival.”

The feat made the Lankan only the fourth Asian to breach the 90m mark in javelin. The others are Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Chao-Tsun (PB 91.36m), India’s former Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) and reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who has breached the mark multiple times.

Meanwhile, India’s Sachin Yadav had a rather forgettable Diamond League debut in Rome, finishing eighth in a 10-man field, sandwiched between Olympic medallists Julius Yego and Jakub Vadlejch. His best throw measured 79.18m.

It was the 26-year-old Sachin Yadav’s first international athletics meet since he finished a solid fourth at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo with a personal best of 86.27m.

In Tokyo, Yadav had eclipsed two-time Olympic medallist compatriot Neeraj Chopra, who finished an underwhelming eighth with 84.03m.

–IANS

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