Javelin throw’s newest sensation Rumesh Tharanga from Sri Lanka is turning the Indian sub-continent into a powerhouse of the track & field discipline.
His throw of 85.41m at the Perth Track Classic in Australia made him the farthest javelin thrower in the men’s event, early in this athletics season.
In doing so, he follows the dominance shown by double Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra and Olympic Record holder Arshad Nadeem in the last few years.
“It’s good to have these countries having good javelin throwers. If you can win a medal at the Asian or even at the South Asian level, you have to be world-class. If you win a medal here, chances are high that you can medal at the Olympics and World Championships,” Tharanga told Sportstar.
Of the two, Tharanga admires the ace Indian javelin thrower more due to his consistency.
“I’m inspired by both Arshad and Neeraj. I like the consistency of Neeraj over the last 4-5 years. He hits big throws repeatedly. If he does six throws, all of them will be over 86 metres. Arshad is a powerful thrower. He will cross 90-91 metres but he will get that maybe once in a competition. I like Neeraj’s consistency more. He’s someone I’d want to be like,” he said.
But for the islander, who has sent stumps flying in Brisbane as a fast bowler in a recent club game, Chopra was not always the first sports person he admired.
“The first sportsperson I admired was Mitchell Starc. I also wanted to be a fast bowler,” he said.
“Both the javelin throw and fast bowling are high-stress activities and I would probably have got injured if I tried to do both,” he added.
It was his coach Tony Prasanna who convinced him to take to javelin throwing on a full-time basis.
“There are many factors to be successful in cricket. Apart from talent, a lot depends on the kind of support system you get, the kind of club you play for or whether you are spotted by someone who is influential. I’ve seen so many talents not going the distance in cricket. In an individual event like track and field, no one can stop you. If you throw 85 metres, everyone can see it. You can’t have favourites here. I told Rumesh track and field was where his true potential could be seen,” he said.
Leave a Reply