Who else but Rumesh? Sri Lankan wins Ultimate Champs with another 90+ throw
Who else but Rumesh Pathirage? The Sri Lankan javelin thrower capped a remarkable 2026 season by winning the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday, September 13, producing yet another throw beyond 90 metres to beat a field packed with Olympic and world champions.
Pathirage did not have it all his own way from the start. His opening throw of 75.89m left him fifth in the eight-man field, with Anderson Peters and Julian Weber among those ahead of him. But Pathirage has made a habit of building into competitions this season, and Budapest was no different.
He improved to 85.69m with his second attempt before finding 87.11m with his third. That throw moved him into first place, but it was hardly enough to make him comfortable. Peters was just 0.93m behind with 86.18m, while Weber was another 29cm back at 85.89m. Rumesh Pathirage led the competition from the third throw. (Reuters Photo)
With the Ultimate Championship using a four-round format instead of the traditional six attempts, Pathirage had one throw left to settle the contest.
He did exactly that. Men's javelin series at the Ultimate Championship. (Screengrab: World Athletics) RUMESH UNLEASHES MONSTER THROWThe 23-year-old unleashed 91.09m with his fourth and final throw, stretching his advantage to nearly five metres and leaving Peters and Weber with no way back. Peters finished second with 86.18m, while Weber took bronze with 85.89m.
It was Pathirage's third throw beyond 90 metres this season, after his 92.62m world-leading effort in Rome in June and 92.07m in Zurich in August. The Rome throw remains the eighth-best mark in history and a Sri Lankan national record.Pathirage did it again!!!BECOMES THE JAVELIN ULTIMATE WORLD CHAMPION!The Sri Lankan wonder boy produced another monstrous throw of 91.09m to clinch the title!- @WorldAthletics #Javelin #JavelinThrow #Athletics #WorldChampion #NNISSports #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/dnambkrcfQβ Sushant Kumar Singh (@Sushant_singh95) September 13, 2026RUMESH PATHIRAGE'S EXTRAORDINARY 2026
More importantly, the Budapest victory was the latest addition to what has been an extraordinary season for Pathirage. He has established himself as the dominant force in men's javelin in 2026, winning multiple Diamond League meetings, the Diamond League Final and the Commonwealth Games before adding the Ultimate Championship title to his collection.
He now heads into the Asian Games as the clear favourite, having spent the season throwing further and more consistently than anyone else in the event. Rumesh Pathirage will be the favourite to win the Asian Games. (Reuters Photo)
While Pathirage once again produced the big number when it mattered, Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem endured a difficult evening in Budapest. After a horror run at the Commonwealth Games, the Pakistani failed in the Ultimate Championship as well, with his best effort of 81.49m coming on his third throw. That was enough for fifth place, but also marked his season's best.
For Pathirage, though, there was only one way this season was going to end.
Another victory. Another 90-metre throw. And another reminder of why, right now, the question in men's javelin is increasingly becoming: who can stop Rumesh Pathirage?- EndsPublished By: Kingshuk KusariPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 09:02 IST
