Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav who won the Silver and Bronze Medal in the Javelin Throw at the Asian Games in Japan on September 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
The newest star of the javelin throw is Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka, who won the event on Monday (September 28, 2026) at the Asian Games under a light drizzle with a throw of 88.33 meters. Yashvir Singh of India took silver (85.14), with bronze for fellow Indian Rohit Yadav (84.35).
Defending Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan was fourth (80.29).
Pathirage is the top thrower this season, including a victory in the recent World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
South Asia has seldom delivered gold in the Olympics or other big track meets, but the javelin is different.
Neeraj Chopra of India took gold in the Tokyo Olympics — delayed by the pandemic until 2021. Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won two years ago at the Paris Olympics. And now it’s Pathirage, the No. 1 thrower this season with a personal-best of 92.62.
Despite recent success in the javelin, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been almost invisible at the Olympics.
India has won only 10 gold medals dating from the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, eight of them in field hockey. The last Olympic gold was Chopra’s in Tokyo. He is out this season with an ankle injury.
Pakistan has only four gold medals in all Olympics, the last was Nadeem’s in Paris two years ago.
And Sri Lanka has never won Olympic gold.
That gold-medal scarcity is sure to end when cricket enters the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and again in 2032 in Brisbane, Australia.
In addition, India and Qatar are the early favorites to host the 2036 Olympics, which should increase the focus on sports other than cricket.
Published – September 28, 2026 07:57 pm IST
