‘Extremely proud,’ says Rumesh after becoming first-ever Sri Lankan to win Diamond League title

Brussels: World No. 1 javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage capped a stellar season by becoming the first athlete from Sri Lanka to win a Diamond League trophy.

The 23-year-old secured victory at the King Baudouin Stadium with an impressive throw of 89.04m on his third attempt, finishing ahead of Poland’s Dawid Wegner, who recorded a personal best of 87.47m to claim second place. Former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago took third with a season-best 83.99m, while Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters finished fourth with 83.70m.

"I'm the first ever Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League Final and that makes me extremely proud. I was really looking forward to compete in the Diamond League and I'm very happy that I´ve been rewarded with a win in the final," Rumesh said.

"I know that I could do much better than the 89.04 today, but the conditions were difficult today. I´m used to much higher temperatures. I´ll try to attack and take over the meeting record in the next few years," he added.

The victory capped a dominant Diamond League campaign for Pathirage, who entered the Brussels final as the circuit leader following a breakthrough season. The Sri Lankan sensation won four of his five Diamond League appearances this year. After finishing second on his series debut in Rabat, he went on to throw over 92 metres in both Rome and Zurich, establishing himself among the top ten throwers of all time. His world-leading throw of 92.62m in Rome propelled him to the top of the global rankings.

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India’s Neeraj Chopra, the 2022 Diamond League champion who qualified for the final in sixth place, was absent from the competition after being ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ankle ligament tear sustained during training. (IANS)