Sri Lanka's Rumesh obliterates competition to win Diamond League final

Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage capped off his incredible 2026 season by winning his maiden Diamond League final. Rumesh produced a monster 89.04m throw in Brussels to beat a strong field and further establish himself as one of the biggest names in world javelin.Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage celebrates winning Diamond League final. (Reuters Photo)In the absence of Neeraj Chopra, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage obliterated the competition to win his maiden Diamond League final in men's javelin. The win capped off an incredible season for the Sri Lankan superstar, who has won every major competition that he has participated in 2026.On Saturday evening in Brussels, Rumesh won the Diamond League final with a monster throw of 89.04 metres, beating the likes of 2025 world champion Keshorn Walcott and 2024 Diamond League final champion Anderson Peters. Rumesh wins 2026 Diamond League final. (Reuters Photo) The Sri Lankan superstar, who has had an unprecedented rise this season, dominated nearly every single throw on Saturday. Rumesh started with a modest throw of 80.42m, which put him in third place after the first round, behind Keshorn and Peters. He picked himself up in the third, fourth and fifth throws, hitting distances of 89.04m, 85.96m and 85.76m respectively.By this time, Walcott and Peters had fallen behind, registering their best throws as 83.99m and 93.70m respectively. Poland's 26-year-old Dawid Wagner finished second behind Rumesh, hitting his personal best of 87.47 metres. Meanwhile, Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra was not able to participate in the competition due to an ankle injury. Neeraj was ruled out for the season right after the Lausanne Diamond League, after sustaining a ligament tear in training. Diamond League Final 2026: Men's javelin throws. RUMESH'S INDIA LINKLausanne was Neeraj's third competition of the year, in what has been an injury-marred season for him. In Neeraj's absence, Rumesh dominated the javelin scene, registering two 90+ throws this season. Rumesh has consistently breached 85m in 2026, winning 10 competitions with throws above the 85m mark. His win in the Diamond League final is not surprising at all, and he is set to compete in the Asian Games as a favourite to win the competition.Rumesh's rise in the javelin world has a link to India. The former fast bowler pivoted to javelin in 2017 after trying his luck in cricket for several years. He made a big mark in the 2025 NC Classic, an invitational competition where he got the invite on Neeraj's recommendation.From there on, Rumesh has seen a steady rise in his stature, and if he continues to maintain his form, he is likely to be the favourite to win the LA 2028 Olympics as well.- EndsPublished By: Kingshuk KusariPublished On: Sep 6, 2026 07:48 IST