Sri Lanka javelin star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage's equipment destroyed in airline transit

Colombo: Sri Lanka's Asian Games medal contender Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage arrived home on Tuesday following a victory at a major international tournament, only to discover his personal javelins destroyed in transit.

The 23-year-old athlete, who has achieved a series of notable wins this season, expressed dismay after finding that his specialised equipment had snapped inside its packaging.

"This was a rude shock," Pathirage's coach, Tony Prasanna, told AFP. "We checked in five javelins, all packed extremely carefully and well, but all of them arrived broken."

Pathirage shared an image of the shattered javelins on social media, listing the throwing distances achieved with each implement: "85.98, 92.62, 88.50, 89.20, 89.37, 88.20, 89.68, 92.06, 91.06 good bye".

The athlete was travelling back from the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Hungary on Turkish Airlines and has submitted an official complaint regarding the damage.

The airline did not immediately provide a public comment on the incident.

"It is not the cost of a javelin, which is quite high, but the emotional attachment," Prasanna said. "This is a psychological setback for Rumesh, and I will counsel him on it. We were planning to take three of these javelins to the 2028 Olympics and to the Asian Games."

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Sports announced it would supply new equipment to support Pathirage's preparation for the upcoming Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

"The government will take up this matter with the airline and take appropriate legal action," the ministry said in an official statement.

The sports ministry highlighted that Pathirage, who became the first Sri Lankan athlete to win a Diamond League title, represents the nation's primary gold-medal prospect for the Asian Games.

Pathirage recorded a world-leading distance of 92.62 metres (303.87 feet) at the Rome Diamond League meeting on 4 June. His mark of 92.07 metres in Zurich last month made him just the fourth athlete in history to clear the 92-metre barrier on multiple occasions.

At the Asian Games, Pathirage is set to compete against Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who holds the Asian record of 92.97 metres.

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India will miss the Asian Games due to an injury.

AFP