Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga’s record-breaking javelins damaged in flight ahead of Asian Games

Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga faced a setback ahead of the 2026 Asian Games after all five of his competition javelins were damaged during a flight from Budapest to Colombo. The 23-year-old athlete shared images of the damaged equipment on Instagram, expressing disappointment with his "bad luck". He later thanked Turkish Airlines in a post alongside a broken-heart emoji.

Tharanga, who had won the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Hungary, was returning to Sri Lanka when the mishap occurred. All five of his winning javelins were affected, including those he intended to use in the upcoming Asian Games, 2028 Olympics, and the World Championship. The athlete has lodged a complaint with the airline over the damage.

This incident is particularly frustrating for Tharanga as his three throws beyond the 90-metre mark this year were achieved with the damaged javelins. He first surpassed the 90m barrier at the Rome Diamond League in June, setting a national record with a throw of 92.62m. Tharanga has consistently excelled this season, winning 12 out of the 13 competitions he has participated in, including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July, where he secured gold against Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj Chopra, unfortunately, is ruled out of the 2026 season with an ankle ligament tear, which will impact Sri Lanka's javelin defense for the Asian Games.