---
title: "Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage five javelins damaged in flight back to Colombo, Sri Lanka; setback for Asian Games prep"
sdDatePublished: "2026-09-15T14:09:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/rumesh-tharanga-javelin-damaged-flight-asian-games-2026"
topics:
  - name: "athletics"
    identifier: "medtop:20000827"
  - name: "javelin throw"
    identifier: "medtop:20000835"
  - name: "Olympic Games"
    identifier: "medtop:20001177"
  - name: "air transport"
    identifier: "medtop:20000338"
locations:
  - "Budapest"
  - "Affile"
  - "Western"
  - "Japan"
  - "Switzerland"
---


Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage five javelins damaged in flight back to Colombo, Sri Lanka; setback for Asian Games prep

Rumesh Tharanga’s record-breaking javelins damaged in flight ahead of Asian Games 2026

Rumesh Tharanga’s record-breaking javelins damaged in flight ahead of Asian Games 2026

The Sri Lankan javelin ace has breached the 90m mark three times this year, with all three throws coming with javelins that were among those damaged during the flight.

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage ’s preparations for the Asian Games 2026 suffered a setback after five of his javelins were damaged during a flight back to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The 23-year-old javelin star was returning home from Budapest on a flight after winning the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday.

“All five of my winning javelins were damaged inside the aircraft. I was trying to use them at the upcoming Asian Games , the 2028 Olympics and the World Championship,” Rumesh said.

Rumesh Tharanga, who is enjoying a breakout campaign this year, has since lodged a complaint with the airline.

Rumesh Tharanga first breached the 90m mark at the Rome Diamond League in June, throwing a national record 92.62m. The effort remains the world-leading mark in 2026.

The Sri Lankan then produced a 92.07m throw to win the Zurich Diamond League last month, beating two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra , who finished second.

Rumesh Tharanga also pipped Neeraj Chopra to the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

His latest 90m-plus effort came at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship last weekend, where he won the javelin title with a 91.09m throw.

Despite the setback, Rumesh Tharanga will remain one of the firm favourites for the javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026 , scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

Tharanga has won 12 of the 13 competitions he has contested this year, with his only blemish coming at the Rabat Diamond League, where he finished second.

Picture by 2026 Getty Images

Javelin throw: Know the rules, scoring system and competition format