Asian Games: Rumesh Pathirage wins gold, swaps jersey with Rohit Yadav

Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage won the Asian Games javelin gold, while India's Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav secured silver and bronze. As a mark of respect, Pathirage and bronze-medallist Yadav swapped jerseys following the event.

Sri Lanka's rising javelin throw star Rumesh Pathirage and Indian javelin throw Asian Games bronze medalist Rohit Yadav swapped their Asian Games jerseys with each other as a mark of respect following the conclusion of their javelin throw event at the continental showpiece.Indian javelin athletes Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav filled javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra's gigantic shoes really well with a double podium finish, but it was the red-hot Sri Lankan star Rumesh who took the top prize with a best throw of 88.55 m, coming after his Commonwealth Games gold medal, where he edged past Neeraj.

How the Indians Secured a Double Podium Finish

In the javelin final at the Asian Games, Yashvir produced a personal best of 85.72m in his final attempt to get the silver medal, while Rohit Yadav secured the bronze medal with a best throw of 84.35m. He opened with 77.25m before improving to 82.40m in the second round and 84.35m in the third. Rohit fouled his final attempt, but his 84.35m effort was enough to secure him a place on the podium.

Rumesh Pathirage: A New Force in Asian Javelin

Posting on his Instagram, Rumesh posted a picture of him and Rohit swapping jerseys, captioned, "With the Indian javelin champion Rohit". Having won 13 out of 14 events he has participated in and having achieved the season-best throw of 92.62 m on June 4, 2026 at the Rome Diamond League, Rumesh has left a strong stamp of authority on javelin throw and the triumphs at CWG and Asian Games has sealed his spot as another rising Asian javelin star after former Olympic gold medalist and world champion Neeraj Chopra and current Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)