Incalculable Loss: Rumesh Pathirage’s Three 90m Javelins Damaged on Flight Return From Budapest

Sri Lankan javelin star Rumesh Pathirage’s specialised javelins were damaged during his Turkish Airlines flight home after winning the World Athletics Ultimate Championships. Despite the setback ahead of the Asian Games, Pathirage said he would “move on” from the incident.

Rumesh Pathirage (File Photo)

Image Credit: Social Media

Sri Lanka javelin throw star Rumesh Pathirage has discovered that five of his precision javelins were severely damaged during his flight back home after capturing the World Athletics Ultimate Championships title in Budapest, Hungary.

Pathirage recently clinched a gold medal at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships with his best throw of 91.09m, defeating Anderson Peters of Grenada and Germany’s Julian Weber, who finished second and third with their best throws of 86.18m and 85.89m, respectively. Sri Lankan star athlete also won his maiden Diamond League title with his best throw of 89.04m in Brussels.

Following the conclusion of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Rumesh Pathirage returned home, where he received a warm welcome at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, only to be met with the devastating realisation that his vital equipment had been compromised in transit.

Broken Javelins Arrived in Colombo

Rumesh Pathirage’s return to Sri Lanka after winning two prestigious global titles was unfortunately marred by the discovery upon inspecting his baggage at Bandaranaike International Airport. His arrival in Colombo was marked by excitement after having successful tours to Brussels and Budapest.

In a video that went viral on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), all five javelins were lying on the ground with shafts visibly bent and damaged after being transported from Budapest to Colombo.

Pathirage reportedly boarded Turkish Airlines flight TK-730 from Istanbul to Colombo, which appeared to be the leg of the journey where the mishandling occurred, leaving three of his 90m javelins severely damaged upon arrival in Colombo. Since the javelins are customised to suit an athlete’s throwing style, replacing them could prove both difficult and expensive.

Scroll to load tweet…

However, Rumesh Pathirage has reportedly lodged a complaint with Turkish Airlines over the damage to his specialised javelins during the return journey. His javelins were used in recent events, including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Diamond League in Brussels, and the World Ultimate Athletics Championships in Hungary.

The Sri Lankan javelin star now faces a major setback ahead of the Asian Games, as the three damaged javelins were the same ones he used to record all three of his 90m-plus throws this season.

‘I’ll Move On’

Despite the damage to his javelins after arriving in Colombo on Turkish Airlines, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage was unfazed by the incident and said he would “move on”, insisting that it was not a major issue despite the loss of his specialised equipment.

According to Sri Lankan publication Newswire, Pathirage stated that all three javelins he used for his 90m-plus throws had been damaged, but he believed it could have been an airline mistake and chose not to dwell on the incident.

“All five of my winning javelins were damaged inside the aircraft. I was trying to use them at the upcoming Asian Games, the 2028 Olympics and the World Championship.” Pathirage said, as quoted by saying.

“All three javelins I used for over 90 throws have been damaged. It might have been a mistake by the airline, but that’s how it is. It’s not a big issue. I’ll move on,” he added.

Scroll to load tweet…

After having won the Commonwealth Games, World Ultimate Athletics Championships, and Diamond League, Rumesh Pathirage will now target Asian Games gold in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where he will aim to add another major title to his remarkable 2026 season.