Rumesh cements javelin dominance

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage has added the Diamond League final crown to his Commonwealth Games gold, becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to win the prestigious event.

The 23-year-old secured victory at Brussels' King Baudouin Stadium with an 89.04-metre throw in the third round. Poland's Dawid Wegner had moved into first place with a personal-best 87.47 metres, but Pathirage responded later in the round and held the lead through the rest of the competition.

He followed his winning effort with throws of 85.96 and 85.76 metres before fouling his final attempt. Wegner finished second, 1.57 metres behind, while Trinidad and Tobago's former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott placed third with a season-best 83.99 metres. Grenada's two-time world champion Anderson Peters was fourth with 83.70 metres.

“

I'm truly very happy about that. Coming from a small country like Sri Lanka, winning a major meet like this

Pathirage's breakthrough season already included a 92.62-metre throw at the Rome Diamond League in June. That mark set a Sri Lankan national record and was the world's leading throw at the time. His Commonwealth Games victory and string of major results have established him as one of the leading throwers in the event.

"I'm truly very happy about that. Coming from a small country like Sri Lanka, winning a major meet like this," Pathirage said. He added that cold conditions had prevented a larger throw: "Honestly, I couldn't get a big throw today because the weather conditions were quite difficult. It was very cold."

Pathirage entered the final as the circuit leader. India's Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra withdrew because of injury, while Pathirage and Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem are set to be key figures at the Asian Games in Japan.

“

Honestly, I couldn't get a big throw today because the weather conditions were quite difficult. It was very cold.