Rumesh Tharanga wins Asian Games gold as Arshad Nadeem finishes fourth

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his remarkable 2026 season by winning the men’s javelin throw gold at the Asian Games 2026, while Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem finished fourth.

Pathirage produced a winning throw of 88.55m, with India’s Yashvir Singh taking silver with 85.72m and compatriot Rohit Yadav claiming bronze with 84.35m.

Arshad finished fourth with a best effort of 80.29m.

Pathirage continues remarkable 2026

Pathirage has quietly climbed the ranks of world javelin over the past few years, but 2026 has been by far the biggest season of his career.

The 23-year-old entered the Asian Games as the world No. 1, having produced a world-leading 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League in June. He has also won five Diamond League meetings and the Diamond League Final this season.

His breakthrough year also includes Commonwealth Games gold, where he threw 89.75m to beat India’s Neeraj Chopra and claim Sri Lanka’s first Commonwealth Games javelin gold.

Pathirage then added the World Athletics Ultimate Championship title with a 91.09m effort in Budapest.

At the Asian Games, however, he had to wait until the closing stages to secure another gold.

After opening with 73.53m and following it with 83.34m and a foul, Pathirage produced 88.33m in the fourth round to move into a commanding lead. He then improved his mark to 88.55m with his final attempt.

Arshad misses another podium

Arshad, meanwhile, opened the competition with 76.69m before improving to 80.29m with his third attempt.

The Olympic champion then fouled his fourth, fifth and sixth attempts and could not improve his mark, leaving him outside the podium. He finished 8.26m behind Pathirage's winning mark and 4.06m behind the bronze-medal position.

The result continues a difficult period for Arshad since his historic Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

He did win gold at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships with 86.40m and retained his Islamic Solidarity Games title, but he finished 10th at the 2025 World Championships with 82.75m after dealing with calf problems.

His 2026 season has also included a ninth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games with 77.41m. He later recorded a season-best 81.49m to finish fifth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship before ending the Asian Games in fourth.