Rumesh Tharanga
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 March 2003 Kalutara, Srilanka | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | St. Peter's College, Colombo | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||
Event | Javelin throw | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 86.50 m NR (2025) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rumesh Tharanga (born 21 March 2003) is a Sri Lankan javelin thrower.[1] In 2025, he became the first ever Sri Lankan javelin thrower to qualify for the finals of the World Championships, where he finished seventh.[2]
Early life
[edit]He is from Kalutara and played as a cricketer in his youth, beginning in 2012, and was measured as bowling at 134 km/h as a teenager whilst playing for St Peter's College, Colombo. His father was a discus and shot-put thrower, and following his guidance started practising the discus before beginning with the javelin throw at St Peter's College in 2017.[3]
Career
[edit]After focusing on the javelin throw, he placed 7th in the final of the 2022 World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, with a throw of 69.98 m.[4]
He began to be coached in Australia under Mike and Kelsey Barber at the Queensland Institute of Sport. He won the 2024 Asian Throwing Championships. The following year, he threw 85.41 m at the Perth Track Classic in Australia, in March 2025.[5] He placed 4th at the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea in May 2025 with a throw of 83.37 m.[6]
He became Sri Lankan National champion in August 2025 with a throw of 82.40 m in Diyagama.[7] That month, he set a new Sri Lankan national record with a throw of 86.50 m whilst competing at the Indian Open in Bhubaneswar to break the previous best mark set by Sumeda Ranasinghe.[8] He also retained his title at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea in August 2025, with a throw of 82.05 m.[9][10]
At the 2025 World Championships, he finished 12th in the qualification round with a throw of 82.80 m and became the first-ever Sri Lankan javelin thrower to qualify for the finals, where he placed 7th with a throw of 84.38 m.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 World Athletics Championships RESULTS: Javelin throw". World Atheltics. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Cricket's loss, javelin's gain: Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga, the new kid on the block". India Today. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics U20 Championships". World Athletics. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "From Fast Bowler to Javelin Star: Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Tops Global Rankings". Runnerstribe. March 12, 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "26th Asian Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "103rd Sri Lankan Championships". World Athletics. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Rumesh Tharanga smashes javelin throw national record". The Papare. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Asian Throwing Championships". World Athletics. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Rumesh Tharanga wins gold at Asian Throwing Championships". adadedana.lk. August 22, 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
