Rumesh Tharanga Height, Age, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rumesh Tharanga

• His father is a former discus and shot-put thrower, who introduced Rumesh Tharanga to athletics.

• Initially, he started learning discus throw from his father.

• When he was in Class 5, he started participating in athletics.

• In 2011, he won first place in a 75-metre race event, which was organised at the All-Island School Games.

• After that, cricket became his main interest. Rumesh Tharanga wished to become a cricketer. Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga was his inspiration.

• During his college days at St. Peter’s College, Colombo, he represented the college in many cricket events. He bowled at the speed of up to 134 km/h.

• While playing for the college, in one of the cricket matches, he took five wickets in four overs and scored a half-century.

• After that, his father noticed Rumesh’s natural ability in throwing things, so his father encouraged him to try athletics.
  

  An old picture of Rumesh Tharanga

• In 2017, his father started his professional training in the javelin and discus events.

• He threw his first javelin throw around 30 meters far, but after receiving two months of training, he improved it to around 63 meters.

• His coach Tony Prasanna helped him to play javelin for St. Peter’s College.

• That same year, Rumesh Tharanga shifted from cricket to javelin throw.

• In 2017, he competed at the Junior Sir John Tarbet Athletics Championships and recorded a throw of around 42 meters.

• In 2019, he competed at the Asian Youth Championships, which were organised in Hong Kong and made his international debut. During the championships, he earned sixth position with a throw of 61.62 meters.

• That same year, he competed in a Under-18 fast-bowling national talent cricket competition and became the second-fastest bowler during the championship.

• Rumesh Tharanga then played for the Kalutara District cricket team as a vice-captain.

• In 2022, he participated in the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombo, where he finished seventh with a throw of 69.98 meters.

• That same year, he stopped competing in discus and decided to focus fully on the javelin.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga in 2022

• After that, he went to Australia and received training under coaches Mike and Kelsey Barber at the Queensland Institute of Sport.

• In 2024, he participated in the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo and won with a personal best throw of 85.45 meters.

• In March 2025, Rumesh Tharanga threw 85.41 meters and won the Perth Track Classic championships.

• After that, he earned fourth position at the 2025 Asian Championships, organised in Gumi, with a throw of 83.37 meters.

• In July 2025, he won the bronze medal at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru with a throw of 84.34 meters.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga while playing at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in 2025

• In August 2025, he participated in the Sri Lankan national championship, organised in Diyagama, Sri Lanka, and won with a throw of 82.40 meters

• That same month, he participated in the Indian Open, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event, organised in Bhubaneswar and set a new Sri Lankan national record with a throw of 86.50 meters. He broke the previous record held by Sumeda Ranasinghe.

• That same year, Rumesh Tharanga competed at the Asian Throwing Championships, which were organised in Mokpo. He won the event with a throw of 82.05 meters.

• In 2025, during the World Championships qualifying round, he threw 82.80 meters and earned 12th position.

• After that, he became the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach the final.

• In the finals, he achieved seventh position with a throw of 84.38 meters.

• In October 2025, he became the Best Male Athlete at South Asian Senior Athletics Championships (SAAF), Ranchi.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga while playing at the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships (SAAF), Ranchi

• On 14 February 2026, Rumesh Tharanga threw 83.07 meters to retain his title at the Perth Track Classic.

• The following month, he set another Sri Lankan national record with a throw of 89.37 meters at the Champions Track and Field Meet in Diyagama.

• On 24 April 2026, he participated in the Kip Keino Classic and set a new meeting record of 89.28 meters.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga while throwing javelin at the Kip Keino Classic

• On 28 April 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket gave Rumesh Tharanga a financial grant of 10 million Sri Lankan rupees.

• On 31 May 2026, he threw 85.97 meters and earned second position at the Meeting de Rabat.

• On 4 June 2026, he competed at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, a Wanda Diamond League, organised in Rome, Italy, and won the event with a throw of 92.62 meters.

• It was the longest javelin throw in the world since the 2024 Olympics.

• The throw broke the meeting record of 90.34 metres, which had stood for 20 years.

• The throw earned him eighth place on the world all-time list and made him the second-best Asian thrower in history at that time.

• It was a new Golden Gala meeting record and Sri Lankan national record. The throw was also the world-leading throw of the season at that time and a new personal best.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga on a poster after making a record at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, a Wanda Diamond League

• On 16 June 2026, he participated in the Golden Spike Ostrava and won with a throw of 86.57 meters.

• On 19 June 2026, he competed in the Doha Diamond League and won the event with a throw of 88.68 meters.

• On 31 July 2026, Rumesh Tharanga made headlines when he won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games, organised in Glasgow. He threw 89.75 meters to win the event.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga after winning a gold medal in the javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games, organised in Glasgow

• On 21 August 2026, he participated in the Athletissima and won with a throw of 88.14 meters. He beat Indian player Neeraj Chopra by nine centimeters.

• On 27 August 2026, Rumesh Tharanga threw 92.07 meters and won the Weltklasse Zürich event, organised in Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland.

• He is a former sportsperson at Queensland Academy of Sport Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

• He is a member of the Sri Lanka Air Force, which has supported his international athletics career.

• In June 2026, he served as a Corporal in the Sri Lanka Air Force.

• After that, that same year, the Air Force promoted Rumesh Tharanga to the rank of Sergeant after his Commonwealth Games win.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga on being promoted to the rank of Sergeant

• He has been featured on the covers of various noted magazines and tabloids.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga on the cover of a tabloid

• He likes travelling to distant places, swimming, and playing cricket in his free time.
  

  Rumesh Tharanga during a trip