Home · Sports · Sep 16 archive
Sri Lankan Javelin Star Rumesh Pathirage Loses Equipment Ahead of Asian Games
Confirmed
In Short: Sri Lanka's top javelin thrower, Rumesh Pathirage, faces a significant setback as his competition equipment was damaged during a flight, jeopardizing his preparations for the upcoming Asian Games.
Sri Lanka's top javelin thrower, Rumesh Pathirage, faces a significant setback as his competition equipment was damaged during a flight, jeopardizing his preparations for the upcoming Asian Games. Pathirage, who won a gold medal in Budapest with a world-best throw, landed in Katunayake to find his five custom javelins smashed into pieces.
The 23-year-old athlete, who is Sri Lanka's best hope for gold at the Asian Games, had his equipment broken on a flight back from the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. According to reports, the javelins, which he used to throw world-best distances, were packed carefully but arrived in pieces.
Pathirage's equipment, which usually costs upwards of $800, is not just a financial loss but also an emotional one, given the emotional attachment he has to his throwing gear. The Sri Lanka Ministry of Sports has promised to provide new javelins for Pathirage to compete at the Asian Games in Japan’s Nagoya.
Despite the setback, Pathirage remains a strong contender for gold at the Asian Games, where he will challenge Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem for the top prize. His preparations have been thrown out of whack, but the Ministry of Sports is working to ensure he is fully equipped for the competition.
What's confirmed
- “It might be a mistake by the airline, but it caused a priceless loss for me,” Pathirage told reporters.
What's still developing
- Filipino tennis star Alex Eala is firm on representing her country at the Asian Games regardless of the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) decision to grant an exemption from the mandatory China Open, the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) has said after filing a request on her behalf.
- “We have formally requested an exemption and we respect the WTA’s process. At the same time, Alex has made her decision to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games, and we fully support her,” PHILTA secretary-general John Rey Tiangco told the media on Tuesday.
- The world number 18, who has become a fan favourite with wins over some of the biggest names on the circuit, including Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, is the highest-ranked player in the women’s singles draw at the Asian Games, which begin on September 19 and conclude on October 4.
- However, the Aichi-Nagoya Games schedule overlaps with the mandatory WTA 1000 tournament China Open, which starts in Beijing on September 30.
- Earlier this week, Indonesian Janice Tjen withdrew from the Asian Games as she was unable to secure an exemption from participating in the China Open.
- However, Eala will compete at the Asian Games regardless of the WTA’s decision, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said in a statement.
- She will compete at the Singapore Open before heading to Japan for the Asian Games, in which she won bronze medals in women’s singles and mixed doubles in Hangzhou, China, in 2022.
- Tennis is one of the few sports where a gold medal at the Asian Games doubles as automatic qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, subject to a top 500 ranking requirement.