Tharanga breaks 90m barrier with record throw at Rome Diamond League

Saturday, 6 June 2026 03:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Rumesh Tharanga

Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga delivered a landmark performance at the Rome Diamond League, setting a new meet record with a throw of 92.62 metres and becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to surpass the 90-metre mark.

The 23-year-old’s effort is the longest javelin throw recorded in the world this year and eclipsed the previous Rome meet record of 90.34m set by Andreas Thorkildsen in 2006.

The throw ranks as the second-best performance by an Asian athlete in the event, behind the 92.97m Olympic record set by Arshad Nadeem at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Tharanga also became only the fourth Asian athlete to exceed 90 metres in the javelin, joining Nadeem, Cheng Chao-Tsun and Neeraj Chopra.

The mark places Tharanga eighth on the all-time world rankings and is only the second throw globally in more than four years to clear the 92-metre barrier.

The performance represents a significant improvement on his previous national record of 89.37m, set in March. Tharanga had also signalled his form earlier this season with a throw of 89.28m at an international meet in Nairobi.

The result further strengthens Sri Lanka’s growing presence in international athletics and positions Tharanga among the leading contenders in the men’s javelin event ahead of upcoming global competitions.