Last Updated:
Among Asians, Pathirage has now registered the second-best throw in javelin throw. Only Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) is ahead of him
Rumesh Pathirage touched the distance of with a 92.62m throw in Rome Diamond League. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Former fast bowler Rumesh Pathirage scripted history on Thursday (June 4) by becoming the first Sri Lankan and overall fourth Asian athlete to breach the 90-metre mark in the javelin throw. Pathirage was in action at the Rome Diamond League on Thursday, and he touched the distance of 92.62m.
Neeraj Chopra of India, Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, and Cheng Chao-Tsun of Taiwan are the other three Asians to have breached the 90m mark in men’s javelin.
Pathirage’s throw of 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League is the 21st-best throw in the history of the javelin throw.
HISTORIC 🇱🇰🔥Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has stunned the athletics world with a sensational 92.62m javelin throw to win the Rome Diamond League.🏅 1st athlete to break 90m in 2026🏅 8th-best throw in world history🏅 World-leading mark for 2026🏅 2nd-longest throw… pic.twitter.com/HQ65ej0HzZ
— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) June 5, 2026
The record for the longest-ever throw in men’s javelin is in the name of Jan Železný. The former Czech Republic athlete reached a distance of 98.48m in 1996.
Best throws in men’s javelin
| RANK | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | MARK | YEAR |
| 1. | Jan Železny | Czech Republic | 98.48 | 1996 |
| 2. | Johannes Vetter | Germany | 97.76 | 2020 |
| 3. | Thomas Rohler | Germany | 93.90 | 2017 |
| 4. | Aki Parviainen | Finland | 93.09 | 1999 |
| 5. | Anderson Peters | Grenada | 93.07 | 2022 |
| 6. | Arshad Nadeem | Pakistan | 92.97 | 2024 |
| 7. | Julius Yego | Kenya | 92.72 | 2015 |
| 8. | Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage | Sri Lanka | 92.62 | 2026 |
| 9. | Sergey Makarov | Russia | 92.61 | 2002 |
| 10. | Raymond Hecht | Germany | 92.60 | 1995 |
| 11. | Andreas Hofmann | Germany | 92.06 | 2018 |
| 12. | Konstantinos Gatsioudis | Greece | 91.69 | 2000 |
| 13. | Andreas Thorkildsen | Norway | 91.59 | 2006 |
| 14. | Tero Pitkamaki | Finland | 91.53 | 2005 |
| 15. | Julian Weber | Germany | 91.51 | 2025 |
| 16. | Steve Backley | Great Britain | 91.46 | 1992 |
| 17. | Chao-Tsun Cheng | Chinese Taipei | 91.36 | 2017 |
| 18. | Breaux Greer | USA | 91.29 | 2007 |
| 19. | Luiz Mauricio Da Silva | Brazil | 91.00 | 2025 |
| 20. | Jakub Vadlejch | Czech Republic | 90.88 | 2022 |
| 21. | Kimmo Kinnunen | Finland | 90.82 | 1991 |
| 22. | Vadims Vasilevskis | Latvia | 90.73 | 2007 |
| 23. | Magnus Kirt | Estonia | 90.61 | 2019 |
| 24. | Seppo Raty | Finland | 90.60 | 1992 |
| 25. | Boris Henry | Germany | 90.44 | 1997 |
| 26. | Neeraj Chopra | India | 90.23 | 2025 |
| 27. | Max Dehning | Germany | 90.20 | 2024 |
| 28. | Keshorn Walcott | Trinidad and Tobago | 90.16 | 2015 |
Among Asians, Pathirage has now registered the second-best throw. Only Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) is ahead of him. Cheng Chao-Tsun is in third spot with a best throw of 91.36m, and Neeraj Chopra’s best-ever throw is 90.23m.
Best throw’s in men’s javelin by Asians
| RANK | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | MARK | YEAR |
| 1. | Arshad Nadeem | Pakistan | 92.97 | 2024 |
| 2. | Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage | Sri Lanka | 92.62 | 2026 |
| 3. | Chao-Tsun Cheng | Chinese Taipei | 91.36 | 2017 |
| 4. | Neeraj Chopra | India | 90.23 | 2025 |
| 5. | Qinggang Zhao | China | 89.15 | 2014 |
Pathirage came into Thursday’s competition as the season leader in the world with his 89.37m throw in a domestic event in March. It was his first Diamond League title.
It has been a breakout year for Pathirage as he had finished second in the Diamond League leg in Rabat, Morocco, on May 31 with a throw of 85.97m after winning the title at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya, with a massive effort of 89.28m.
India’s Sachin finishes 8th
Top Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav’s Diamond League debut ended in disappointment as he finished eighth in a star-studded 10-man field with a below par performance here on Thursday.
The 26-year-old could only muster a best throw of 79.18m on the day, well below his personal best of 86.27m which he had produced while finishing fourth in the Tokyo World Championships last year. He has had the season’s best of 81.95m while finishing second at the Indian Athletics Series 3 in April in New Delhi.
Yadav began with a foul throw, and then had 79.18m, 77.02m, 76.62m, 75.54 in his next four attempts to end at the eighth spot after five throws. Only the top three after the fifth round are allowed to have their sixth and final throw.
About the Author
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis. Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the…Read More
Read More
