Sri Lankan Javelin Star Rumesh Pathirage’s Specialised Javelins Damaged In Transit After Historic Win

September 15, 2026

Sri Lankan javelin star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage’s homecoming after winning the World Athletics Ultimate Championship was marred by an unfortunate setback, with four of his specialised competition javelins damaged during his return flight from Hungary.

Pathirage shared pictures of the damaged javelins on his Instagram story, captioning the post “bad luck”. In another story, he appeared to take a swipe at the airline, writing “Thank You Turkish Airlines” along with a broken-heart emoji.

According to Sri Lanka’s Newswire, a complaint has been lodged with the airline over the incident.

“All three javelins I used for over 90 throws have been damaged. It might have been a mistake by the airline, but that’s how it is. It’s not a big issue. I’ll move on,” Pathirage was quoted as saying.

Pathirage Wins World Athletics Ultimate Championship

The setback came shortly after Pathirage capped a stunning breakthrough season by winning the men’s javelin title at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday.

He produced a throw of 91.09 metres to secure the title and earned a prize of USD 150,000, equivalent to nearly LKR 50 million.

His 91.09m effort marked the third time he had crossed the 90-metre mark this season. He had earlier set a Sri Lankan national record of 92.62m in Rome in June and followed it with a 92.07m throw to win the Zurich Diamond League last month.

Remarkable Season For Sri Lankan Star

Pathirage has been the dominant force in men’s javelin this year, winning 11 of his 12 competitions before heading to Budapest.

He won the Commonwealth Games title and dominated the Diamond League circuit with victories in Rome, Doha, Lausanne and Zurich before becoming the first Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League Final.

Before winning the Diamond League Final, Pathirage had produced his world-leading 92.62m throw in Rome and followed it with a 92.07m victory in Zurich, performances that propelled him to the top of the world rankings this season.

Despite the damage to his specialised equipment during his return journey, Pathirage said he would move on from the incident as he looks ahead after a remarkable season.