Pathirage’s 88.55m effort seals gold for Sri Lanka, while Vithya Ramraj breaks P.T. Usha’s 42-year-old national record in 400m hurdles
Nagoya, Sept 2026 : India clinched two medals in the men's javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026, with Yashvir Singh winning the silver and Rohit Yadav taking bronze, as Sri Lanka's Pathirage produced a late surge to claim the gold medal.
Yashvir remained in contention for the top spot for much of the competition before Pathirage dramatically changed the standings with his final attempts. Pathirage eventually won gold with a best throw of 88.55 metres.
After three rounds, Rohit had moved into the lead with an effort of 84.35m, while Yashvir was second at 83.56m. Pathirage was third with 83.34m, with Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem occupying fourth place at 80.29m.
Pathirage then produced a major improvement in his fourth attempt, throwing 88.33m to move into first place. He went even further with his final throw of 88.55m, sealing the gold and pushing Yashvir into silver.
Earlier in the day, India added another athletics medal as Vithya Ramraj won bronze in the women's 400m hurdles and rewrote a long-standing national record held by legendary athlete P.T. Usha.
Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds, improving on Usha's 55.42-second mark set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The performance marked a significant milestone in Ramraj's career.
Expressing her happiness after the race, Ramraj credited her coach and faith for helping her produce her best performance.
She said having her coach present at the Asian Games, along with her belief in God, made her feel confident and helped her deliver on the track.
