Pathirage's Commonwealth gold: Sri Lanka sprinter-turned-javelin star upsets Chopra and Nadeem

Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage upstaged Olympic champions Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem to win men's javelin gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, capping a breakout championship on Day 8 (July 31).

Pathirage, a former cricketer who only took up javelin seriously in recent years, out-threw India's Chopra, who took silver, while compatriot Yash Vir Singh claimed bronze, according to olympics.com and Al Jazeera. Nadeem, the Pakistani Olympic champion defending his Commonwealth title, missed the podium. The winning throw distance remains Unverified in agency reporting at time of filing.

The result ended Sri Lanka's wait for athletics gold at Glasgow 2026 and confirmed Pathirage as the sport's newest rival to its established stars, Inside The Games reported under the headline "Tharanga reigns over Olympic and World champions."

Chopra responded days later by finishing second with a season-best effort at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21, per olympics.com, signalling his form is recovering ahead of the indoor season.

Glasgow 2026 closed on August 3 after 11 days of competition.

**Sources:** - Al Jazeera: Pathirage beats Chopra and Nadeem to win Commonwealth gold in javelin - olympics.com: "Former cricketer Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage wins javelin gold for Sri Lanka" / "Neeraj Chopra wins silver medal; Yash Vir Singh bags bronze" - Inside The Games: "Commonwealth Games: Tharanga reigns over Olympic and World champions"

**Sources:** Google News