Pathirage takes Asian Games javelin gold for Sri Lanka
An 88.55m final throw secured the men’s title, with India’s Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav taking silver and bronze.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage won the Asian Games men’s javelin title with a final throw of 88.55m. The victory adds the continental crown to a season in which, Al Jazeera reports, he has claimed several major titles.
India’s Yashvir Singh took silver with a personal-best 85.72m, while compatriot Rohit Yadav won bronze with 84.35m. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem finished fourth with 80.29m.
Pathirage opened with 73.53m, then moved ahead of the Indian pair with an 88.33m throw in the fourth round. After a no-throw in his fifth attempt, he improved to 88.55m in the sixth.
Al Jazeera reports Pathirage, 23, entered the Games after winning the Commonwealth Games and Diamond League final. His season best is 92.62m, set at the Rome Diamond League, according to the report.
In the women’s javelin, China’s Yan Ziyi won gold with a Games-record 70.46m. Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi took silver and Sae Takemoto bronze.
