Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Diamond League finals, Rumesh wins with 92.07m in Zurich
Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra has stormed into the Diamond League finals to be held in Brussels on September 4-5. Neeraj made it to the six-man final despite missing three of the five meetings, including the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday 27 August.
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth Games champion, won the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday with a massive throw of 92.07m. It was his second best throw, just ahead of the 92.62m he achieved at the Rome Diamond League in June this year.
Here’s a video of the massive throw
92.07m for Rumesh Pathirage in the Zurich Diamond League.
His second throw over 92m this year after 92.62m (PB) in Rome.
7 throws over 89m this year. A top athlete! #ZurichDL #Spear
pic.twitter.com/PvcT3EPu1B— Akshay Ramesh (@iamnotakshayr) August 27, 2026
Neeraj finished second in the Lausanne Diamond League A throw of 88.05 m on August 21 was his season best. He started his season at the Doha Diamond League with a fourth-place finish with a personal best of 85.69m. The Indian javelin thrower, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games in July, finished sixth with a total of 12 points.
At each Diamond League meet, points are awarded to the top eight javelin throwers on a sliding scale, from eight points for first place to one point for eighth. At the end of the qualifying series, the top six athletes with the most accumulated points will advance to the season-ending Diamond League Finals, with the athlete’s best legal performance of the season breaking the tie.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, who did not make the Commonwealth Games final, finished fifth in Zurich with a best of 81.66m to book a place in the six-man Diamond League final.
ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR THE 2026 DIAMOND LEAGUE FINALS (MEN’S JAVELIN)
1. Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka) – 39 points
2. Anderson Peters (Grenada) – 35 points
3. Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) – 23 points
4. Curtis Thompson (USA) – 20 points
5. Julius Yego (Kenya) – 13 points
6. Neeraj Chopra (India) – 12 points
While Rumesh Pathirage led the qualifying order, Peters, reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, Curtis Thompson of USA, Yego and Neeraj also made it to the final.
Rumesh led the qualifying standings with 39 points from five meetings. Apart from the Rabat Diamond League, where he finished second with 85.97m, Rumesh won four other Diamond League meets this year.
On Thursday, Rumesh led the field of ten in the Zurich Diamond League from start to finish. He threw 88.23 in his second attempt and improved to 89.90m in his third. The Sri Lankan finished the meet with a massive throw of 92.07m, showing the consistency that has propelled him to No. 1 in the men’s javelin rankings this year.
Rumesh is having a great season in 2026. He has two throws over 90m and seven over 88m, including five over 89m. The 23-year-old, eyeing gold at the Los Angeles Olympics, will be the man to beat in next week’s Diamond League final in Brussels.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a former world champion, finished second in Zurich with a season’s best of 86.93m, while Poland’s Dawid Wegner finished third with a season’s best of 85.16m.
For Neeraj, who has carefully managed his schedule after recovering from a back injury sustained during last year’s World Cup, the Diamond League final will be a good test ahead of the Asian Games, which begin next month. India’s Rohit Yadav produced the biggest throw of his career when he threw the javelin 87.68m at the Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar. He has not competed in any Diamond League meet this year but will be on the lookout for the Asian Games.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
28 Aug 2026 02:17 IST