‘Really proud’: Rumesh Pathirage on becoming first Sri Lankan to win DL finale

Rumesh Pathirage clinched the Diamond League title with a throw of 89.04 meters, becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to achieve such a feat. The javelin thrower also became only the fifth Asian thrower to win the title across categories and the second male thrower, following Neeraj Chopra, to accomplish the same. "I´m the first ever Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League Final and that makes me extremely proud," Pathirage said after his historic win.

The champion demonstrated his dominance by recording three throws over 85 meters during the competition. Poland's Dawid Wegner secured second place with a personal best of 87.47 meters, while world champion Keshorn Walcott claimed third with a season-best throw of 83.99 meters. Pathirage, who is enjoying his breakthrough season, admitted that he could have performed better but acknowledged that the conditions were challenging.

He expressed his intention to target a new meeting record in the coming years. Pathirage's success is highlighted by his world-leading throw of 92.62 meters, ranking him number one globally, and his four victories in five Diamond League meets. He has also claimed the Commonwealth Games gold and the Diamond League finale. This latest title puts him on track to become the first Sri Lankan thrower to win an Asian Games medal, with the upcoming event in Aichi Nagoya, Japan.