Sri Lanka’s rising javelin star, Rumesh Tharanga, etched his name into the history books yesterday, becoming the first Sri Lankan male athlete ever to qualify for a final at the World Athletics Championships.
The 22-year-old national record holder secured his place in the men’s javelin final in dramatic fashion during the qualifying rounds in Tokyo.
Despite not hitting his recent top form, Tharanga delivered under pressure, launching an 82.80m throw in his third and final attempt to claim the 12th and last spot in the final.
Fellow countryman Sumedha Ranasinghe narrowly missed out on joining Tharanga in the final. His best effort of 81.86m left him 15th overall—just shy of the qualifying mark.
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