Rumesh Tharanga wins Sri Lanka’s first Asian Games gold

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga won the men’s javelin gold medal on Monday at the Asian Games in Japan with a throw of 88.55 metres.

Rain made conditions difficult for all competitors, and Tharanga opened with a throw of 73.53 metres. At the end of the first three rounds, he was in third place behind two Indian athletes.

Tharanga moved into the lead with his fourth attempt, producing a throw of 88.33 metres.

His fifth attempt was unsuccessful, but he improved again with his sixth and final throw, reaching 88.55 metres to secure the gold medal.

It was Sri Lanka’s first gold medal at this year’s Asian Games.

The silver and bronze medals were won by two Indian athletes, while Sri Lanka’s Sumedha Ranasinghe finished sixth.