NEW DELHI: Rivalries define sport and, for years, men’s javelin revolved around the India-Pakistan rivalry between Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem. But on a bitterly cold, windy Friday evening at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, a new storyline gathered unmistakable momentum.Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, the lone 90m-plus thrower this season, conquered a world-class field to win Commonwealth Games gold, while an injury-return Chopra settled for silver and his teammate Yash Vir Singh announced himself with a stunning bronze. The old narrative may not have disappeared, but it is slowly giving way to an emerging Chopra-Pathirage rivalry that promises to shape the Asian Games and perhaps even the road to Los Angeles 2028.The conditions were unforgiving. Gusting winds repeatedly knocked down otherwise clean throws, leaving even the world’s finest searching for rhythm. Yet Pathirage, remarkably, needed just one legal attempt. His second-round effort of 89.75m, agonisingly close to the coveted 90m mark, stood untouched till the end as the 23-year-old mastered a field featuring five athletes who have crossed 90m, including reigning Olympic and CWG champion Nadeem, former world champion Chopra, reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott and former world champion Anderson Peters.Ironically, all five of Pathirage’s remaining attempts were fouls, but the solitary legal throw proved enough to secure Sri Lanka’s first CWG athletics gold since 2006 and establish the youngster as the undisputed world leader in 2026. Having already thrown a world-leading 92.62m throw in Rome, won Diamond League titles in Doha and Rome and captured seven titles from eight competitions this season, Pathirage’s consistency has transformed him into the man everyone must now beat.Chopra, meanwhile, produced an encouraging comeback. Returning after a troublesome adductor issue and lower-back injury that had sidelined him since last September, the 28-year-old was competing only for the second time in nearly a year after his comeback at the Doha DL in June. His opening four throws all sailed beyond 80m in Glasgow, with his second-round effort of 85.83m — a season’s best — securing silver before two foul attempts ended his campaign.“I can’t say my fitness is back to what it used to be. I’m getting there gradually,” Chopra said. “Doha was my first competition after coming back. I was a little better here, but I’m still trying to regain my rhythm. Definitely, there’s still room to improve. The aim now is to keep improving gradually in the next competitions.”The Indian admitted the conditions made matters harder. “I also had only one decent throw today. I felt I could have thrown farther but the javelin wasn’t holding its line. I don’t perform my best in the cold. I prefer warmer weather… because I have Indian blood,” he smiled. “Only one good throw is enough. He had one good throw today, and I also had only one decent throw.”Another Indian, Yash Vir Singh, scripted the performance of his career. Lying seventh after five rounds, the 24-year-old uncorked a personal-best 85.41m throw in his final attempt to snatch bronze from South Africa’s Douw Smit and join Chopra on the podium. Rohit Yadav finished seventh with 81.56m, while Nadeem suffered a stunning early exit after managing only 77.41m in three throws.Pathirage’s rise makes the achievement even more compelling. Once a promising fast bowler capable of touching 134kmph, he was persuaded by coach Tony Prasanna to switch to javelin. Sri Lankan cricket’s loss has unquestionably become the island nation’s biggest athletics gain.Training largely through an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Solidarity scholarship rather than a proper funding programme, Pathirage said, “The weather conditions were very tough for us, but I tried to throw my own distance rather than trying to match other people’s distances.” He added: “Bringing this gold means everything to me, and I’m proud to hear our national anthem played.”For now, the javelin discipline has a compelling new rivalry.
