Rumesh Tharanga hits it high. Nominated for Athlete of the Year Award

Sri Lanka’s world No. 1 Men's Javelin record holder, Rumesh Tharanga, the darling of Sri Lankan athletics continues to be the island nation's pride hogging the international limelight again and again.

Twenty three year old Pathirage's latest prominence is his nomination for the highly prestigious 2026 Men's Athlete of the Year Award by World Athletics. Pathirage is the first Sri Lankan athlete named among the 2026 nominees for the prestigious World Athlete of the Year honours.

The top award sees 10 nominees in the fray announced by World Athletics for the men’s award ahead of the World Athletics Awards, which will be held in Monaco on November 29.

The 10 men nominated for the 2026 World Athlete of the Year award by World Athletics are:
* Kenneth Bednarek (USA) – Sprints
* Kristjan Čeh (Slovenia) – Discus
* Andy Díaz Hernández (Italy) – Triple Jump
* Alison dos Santos (Brazil) – 400m Hurdles
* Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – Pole Vault
* Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana) – 400m
* Josh Kerr (Great Britain & NI) – 1500m/Mile
* Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka) – Javelin
* Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) – Marathon
* Ja'Kobe Tharp (USA) – 110m Hurdles.
The Sri Lankan shot to international stardom following a phenomenal year winning 12 of 13 big stage events he participated in 2026.
What has set Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage apart as the undisputed champion of javelin champions were his recent magical gold strikes winning at the Commonwealth Games followed by the Diamond League, Ultimate World Championships and last week at the 20th Asian Games in Japan. His world-leading national record of 92.62 metres has put him far ahead of the rest of the best in the world. A fact best demonstrated at the Asian Games when he beat all the wet weather vagaries that hindered his grip on the javelin In coming from behind of trailing his main two Indian opponents to driving home the message that he was the king by two 88+ throws, one of which was 88.5.

The 10 men’s nominees were selected by an eight-member panel of statisticians comprising two representatives from World Athletics and one representative from each of the six continental area associations, according to World Athletics.

The final rankings will be determined through a four-way voting process, with each voting group contributing 25% of the overall vote. The groups comprise World Athletics fans, athletes who competed in World Athletics Series events during 2026, accredited media and content creators, and the wider World Athletics Family.

The six finalists, three in each category, will be announced on November 10 and 11. The finalists will then be invited to Monaco for the World Athletics Awards, where the men’s and women’s World Athlete of the Year winners will be announced on November 29.

By Srian Obeyesekere