Like many Sri Lankan children, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage’s first love was cricket. Hailing from Kalutara, a small coastal town just south of Colombo, Rumesh was already standing out as a fast bowler at the Under-18 level, regularly clocking speeds of 134 km/h. In his only competitive outing for St. Peter’s College, Colombo, he left an impression with a remarkable all-round performance: four overs, five wickets, and a half-century with the bat. It was the kind of game that could have easily launched a promising cricketing career. However, in an era that is dominated by T20 leagues and players chasing lucrative contracts at the expense of national duty, young Pathirage chose an unconventional path.
Instead of holding a 160-gram cricket ball that swings and seams, he picked up a 700-gram javelin. Today, at just 22, his name is beginning to shine in stadiums far beyond Sri Lanka as he won the gold medal in World Continental Tour in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
In July, at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru, Rumesh found himself on the podium alongside Olympic medalists Neeraj Chopra and Julius Yego from Kenya. He finished ahead of his childhood idol and former Olympic champion Thomas Röhler.
Chopra gives Rumesh a launchpad
Chopra has played a pivotal role in Rumesh’s rise. It was the two-time Olympic medalist who invited him to Bengaluru and encouraged him to push the boundaries. After the podium ceremony, Neeraj offered a quieter but no less important gesture: noticing that Rumesh is hesitant during media interactions due to his limited English, he leaned in and gave him a reassuring nudge.
“Speak as much as you can in English. I learnt it this way. You’ll be at many more podiums, so speak without fear,” Rumesh revealed in an exclusive conversation with India Today.
Rumesh to compete with the best after humble beginnings
On August 10, Rumesh delivered the most defining moment of his career in Bhubaneswar, where he threw the javelin to 86.50m far, and broke the Sri Lankan national record claiming direct qualification for the World Championship in Tokyo.
“I broke most of my school records. In 2017, I won the first school meet in discus. I then got the opportunity to come to the central school in Colombo, the St Peter’s College.” Rumesh said.
It was at St Peter’s (Colombo) that javelin entered the picture.
“After I came to St Peter's College, I started javelin throwing. My first throw was around the 30m mark. After only two months of training, I increased my throw to 63m. After 2017, I have increased my personal best gradually.” he added.
Fast bowler to javelin thrower
Even then, cricket still lingered as an option. He was the second-fastest in the least featuring Eshan Malinga who represented Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
“I started playing cricket in 2012, like any other Sri Lankan kid. In 2017, I was among the fastest in the U18 competition. I marked 134 kph,” Rumesh recalled.
“In cricket, there is political involvement, there is intense competition. So, I moved away from cricket. I loved javelin more. I was the second-fastest bowler in my category. But I wouldn’t have had a chance to make it as a fast bowler. Cricket is a team sport. It takes a lot more than just talent to make it to the national team. But, in javelin, if I have talent, I will be recognised.”
Financial struggle remains
Pathirage said that there is no dearth of talent in Sri Lanka but the young athletes don’t get the financial support they need.
“They are helping me with financial support. But, in Sri Lanka, except cricket, there is no real space to fund other sports. It’s very hard being a javelin thrower in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, if you look at it, there are not many professional athletes. There are a lot of grassroots athletes who do well in track events. But after the age of 20, we have few. That’s the main problem — the progression. The athletics federation hasn’t been able to support us much. The financial problem is real in Sri Lankan athletics,” he said.