World Champion’s five Javelins broken during flight on return to Sri Lanka

 Sri Lankan javelin thrower Ramesh Tharanga Pathirage faced an unexpected setback after all five of his javelins were found broken when he arrived home following his victory at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan javelin thrower Ramesh Tharanga Pathirage faced an unexpected setback after all five of his javelins were found broken when he arrived home following his victory at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

Pathirage had traveled back to Sri Lanka from Hungary on a foreign airline after securing the world title. According to his coach all five javelins had been packed with extreme care before the journey.

However, when the athlete arrived in Colombo all five pieces of equipment were reportedly found damaged.

Pathirage has now filed a complaint against the airline over the incident. The damaged javelins were particularly important to the athlete because he had used them in several of his major achievements.

The Sri Lankan thrower has enjoyed an outstanding season crossing the 90-meter mark three times this year. He won gold at the Zurich Diamond League with an impressive throw of 92.07 meters, further establishing himself as one of the leading javelin throwers in the world.

Pathirage also claimed a gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where he defeated Indian star Neeraj Chopra. He later secured the javelin title at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship with a throw of 91.09 meters.

His remarkable consistency has made him one of Sri Lanka’s biggest athletics stars. Pathirage has won 12 of his 13 competitions this year underlining his dominance in the event.

The damage to his javelins comes just days before another major international sporting assignment. With the 2026 Asian Games approaching, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports has announced that new javelins will be provided to Pathirage for the competition.

The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4.

Despite the unusual equipment-related setback Pathirage is expected to remain one of Sri Lanka’s key medal hopes at the Asian Games. His recent performances including his 91.09-meter world championship-winning throw have raised expectations surrounding his campaign.

The incident has also highlighted the importance of safely transporting specialized sports equipment particularly for elite athletes whose performance depends heavily on carefully selected and competition-tested equipment.

With new javelins set to be provided by Sri Lankan authorities Pathirage will now look to put the airline incident behind him and continue his remarkable run of form on the international stage.