Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to win a Diamond League Final title.
The 23-year-old won the men’s javelin throw at the Diamond League Final 2026 in Brussels this morning, September 5.
Tharanga produced a best throw of 89.04m in the third round at the King Baudouin Stadium. That throw put him ahead of Poland’s Dawid Wegner, who finished second with a personal best of 87.47m.
Former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago took third with 83.99m. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished fourth with 83.70m.
“I’m truly very happy about that,” Rumesh said. “Coming from a small country like Sri Lanka, winning a major meet like this.”
A historic season reaches another high
Tharanga did not have his best start in Brussels. He opened with 80.42m before recording 79.73m with his second attempt.
Walcott took the early lead with 83.99m. Wegner then moved to the top with a personal best of 87.47m in the third round.
Tharanga responded in the same round with his winning 89.04m throw.
He followed that with throws of 85.96m and 85.76m before fouling his final attempt. Wegner could not improve on his third-round mark, giving Tharanga the title by 1.57m.
Tharanga said difficult weather conditions affected his performance.
“Honestly, I couldn’t get a big throw today because the weather conditions were quite difficult – it was very cold,” he said.
From national record to Diamond League champion
The Brussels victory completes a remarkable 2026 season for Tharanga.
He entered the Diamond League Final as the circuit leader after a series of strong performances.
His biggest throw came at the Rome Diamond League in June, where he recorded a Sri Lankan national record of 92.62m. The mark also stood as the world-leading throw at the time.
He then threw 88.68m in Doha and won in Lausanne with 88.14m. In Zurich, his final competition before Brussels, he produced another huge throw of 92.07m.
His 2026 season has therefore included two throws beyond 92m and a rise to world No. 1 in men’s javelin.
The Diamond League title adds to the Commonwealth Games gold medal he won earlier this season.
Tharanga has now capped a breakthrough year by becoming the first athlete from Sri Lanka to win a Diamond League Final title.
Diamond League Final 2026 men’s javelin results
- Rumesh Tharanga (SRI) – 89.04m
- Dawid Wegner (POL) – 87.47m (PB)
- Keshorn Walcott (TTO) – 83.99m (SB)
- Anderson Peters (GRN) – 83.70m
- Julius Yego (KEN) – 76.79m
- Timothy Herman (BEL) – 71.79m
- Curtis Thompson (USA) – 69.52m
India’s Neeraj Chopra did not compete in the Diamond League Final after withdrawing from the event last week due to injury.
Sports Update Sri Lankan Made Proud
Last modified: September 6, 2026
