GLASGOW: Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage outthrew defending champion Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra to win gold in the men’s javelin final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday.
Arshad finished ninth among 12 athletes who participated in the final after the qualifying round. The 29-year-old crashed out after the first three attempts.
Nadeem began his title defense with a foul on his opening attempt. He registered a throw of 77.41 meters in the second round to get on the leaderboard but dropped to ninth place by the end of the round.
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Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won gold with a decisive throw of 89.75 meters in the second round. Remarkably, all five of his remaining attempts were fouls.
The Sri Lankan also became the third South Asian athlete to win the men’s javelin title at the Commonwealth Games.
Pathirage’s victory ended Sri Lanka’s 20-year wait for a Commonwealth Games gold medal. The country’s previous gold came at Melbourne 2006, when weightlifter Chinthana Vidanage won the men’s 62kg title.
India’s former champion Neeraj Chopra took silver with a season-best throw of 85.83 meters, also recorded in the second round. His compatriot Yash Vir Singh claimed bronze with a personal best of 85.41 meters on his final attempt.
This was also the first time that India have won two medals in the men’s javelin.
Gold, silver and bronze finishers in javelin final
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SL) – 89.75
Neeraj Chopra (IND) – 85.83
Yash Vir Singh (IND) – 85.41
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