‘Cricket has spilt over into athletics’: Rumesh Pathirage on South Asia’s javelin rise

Gold medalist Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka. (AP Photo)

Nagoya: For most children growing up in the Indian subcontinent, cricket is almost a rite of passage — gully cricket, book cricket or, for the talented ones, the competitive game.Rumesh Pathirage was no different. The Sri Lankan grew up perfecting his run-up and bowling action, even clocking speeds of 130kmph. But somewhere along the way, the 22 yards lost its hold. Pathirage left cricket behind to chase a dream in athletics.

Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyFor the 23-year-old javelin thrower from Kalutara, this has been a watershed year. At the Golden Gala in June, he breached the 92m mark with a 92.62m throw, and went beyond 92m twice more during the season.Last week, he added the Asian Games gold to an enviable collection that already includes titles at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Diamond League and the World Ultimate Championships.Excerpts from an interview:On the remarkable season:This has certainly been the best season of my career. I’ve improved my personal best by 6m in the last 12 months and found excellent consistency in all my recent competitions.

I’m very proud to bring the Asian Games gold medal home to Sri Lanka, alongside the Commonwealth Games gold, Diamond League Final, and World Ultimate trophies.On winning the Asian Games gold in testing conditions:I am very happy to have cleared over 88m in these conditions. The runway was very slippery, so it’s a relief that it came together on my final throws.On breaking the 90m mark this season:The 90m mark is both mental and physical. Everything has to be right with both the body and mind to surpass this barrier.

My goal for this year was to throw 88m and do that consistently. So breaking 90m three times is really special.On Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem and South Asian dominance in javelin:Everything I do is for my country, and I wear the Sri Lankan jersey with pride whenever I step onto the field to throw. South Asia has been leading the way in the men’s javelin in recent years, and it’s great to see our dominance in cricket has spilt over into athletics, especially the javelin.

Seeing Neeraj and Nadeem win Olympic gold, of course, makes me believe that I can do that for my country too, in two years in Los Angeles.On switching from cricket to athletics:I was very sporty as a kid. I played cricket for a long time and also tried many different athletics events before I settled on javelin.On his equation and rivalry with Neeraj Chopra:Seeing what he’s achieved is a big inspiration to me. He competed very well this year before he got injured, and he pushed me in meets like the Doha Diamond League, Commonwealth Games, and Lausanne Diamond League. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope we have more great battles next year.