‘Keep our flag flying high!’: Angelo Mathews hails Pathirage after historic Diamond League win
New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews congratulated javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage after the 23-year-old created history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League title.
Mathews took to X to celebrate Pathirage’s landmark achievement, posting, “Rumesh Tharanga, keep our flag flying high!”
Pathirage delivered a winning throw of 89.04m on his third attempt at the King Baudouin Stadium to claim the Diamond League Final title. Poland’s Dawid Wegner finished second with a personal-best 87.47m, while Trinidad and Tobago’s former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott took third with a season-best 83.99m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, was fourth at 83.70m.
The victory capped a breakthrough season for Pathirage, who arrived at the final as the Diamond League circuit leader after an impressive run across the series.
“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.
Pathirage had four victories in five Diamond League appearances this season. After finishing runner-up in Rabat on his series debut, he produced throws beyond 92m in both Rome and Zurich.
His 92.62m effort in Rome established a world-leading mark and propelled him to the top of the world rankings. The Sri Lankan admitted that his winning throw in the final was below what he believes he can produce, but credited the challenging conditions.
“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.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, the 2022 Diamond League champion, qualified for the final after finishing sixth in the overall standings but did not compete after being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a ligament tear in his ankle sustained during training.
–IANS
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