Pathirage challenges Chopra-Nadeem javelin rivalry in Commonwealth final

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoRumesh Pathirage from Sri Lanka competes in the men's javelin throw at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold 2026 [Sona Maleterova/Getty Images]By Anushe EngineerPublished On 30 Jul 202630 Jul 2026Pakistan-India javelin rivalry returns to the global stage on Friday as reigning champion Arshad Nadeem looks to defend his Commonwealth Games title against a stacked field led by Sri Lanka’s rising javelin phenom and world lead Rumesh Pathirage.

Pathirage leads the charge after an 82.84-metre (271-foot) throw in the qualifying round on Thursday, followed by 2022 silver medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada with an 81.29-metre (267ft) throw on his second attempt, and South Africa’s Douw Smit with 80.84 metres (265ft).

Friday’s final will be an epic showdown between veterans who have topped the podium in previous iterations and up-and-coming hopefuls looking for global glory after becoming national champions. Five of the top seven finishers at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be competing in the final.

It seems to be a changing of the guard on the South Asian front after Pathirage dominated this season with back-to-back wins. His monstrous 92.62-metre (304ft) throw at the Rome Diamond League in May would be enough to smash the Commonwealth Games record of 90.18m set by Nadeem in 2022.

Nadeem and his long-time rival from India, Neeraj Chopra, on the other hand, have only competed once ahead of the Games in Edinburgh after injury kept both away from competitions this season.

Al Jazeera breaks down key information ahead of the final:

Pathirage topped the rankings with his lone 82.84-metre attempt. No one in the 12-man field breached the automatic qualification mark of 84 metres (275.5ft), likely due to challenging weather conditions.

He and Smit were the only two athletes to qualify with a single throw as others maximised their three attempts for a spot in the final.

Peters has also had a stellar season, with a Diamond League title in Rabat and second place in Rome behind Pathirage after a World Championships silver in Tokyo. The 28-year-old will look to add Commonwealth gold to his collection after bagging silver in 2022 and bronze in 2018.

Chopra ranks fifth with 79.61 metres (261ft), while Nadeem stands at seventh with 78.63 metres (258ft). India are the only country to have three athletes in the final, as Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh look to shine in Chopra’s shadow.

World champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago narrowly snuck into the final with a 78.26-metre (257ft) throw to place 11th. The 33-year-old veteran took silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, also in Scotland, after becoming the world junior and Olympic champion in 2012.

Reigning champion: Arshad Nadeem (90.18m throw, games record)

Olympic champion: Arshad Nadeem (92.97m throw, games record)

World champion: Keshorn Walcott (88.16m throw)

The duo will meet for the first time this year to reignite Pakistan-India rivalry on the field. A brotherhood hailed globally for transcending decades-old geopolitics soured into bitter relations following a four-day war between the neighbouring countries in May 2025.

Chopra has largely dominated their head-to-head standings – nine wins to Nadeem’s one, based on World Athletics’ standings – with consistent podium finishes.

The 28-year-old won Commonwealth gold in 2018, followed by Asian Games gold that same year, which he defended in 2022. He became Olympic champion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and world champion in 2023. His storied career includes several Diamond League wins, South Asian titles, an U20 World Championship title, and the prestigious label of being the first Indian athlete to win gold across global championships.

Nadeem outshines Chopra on the throwing front: his 92.97-metre (305ft) throw secured Olympic gold – Pakistan’s first individual gold medal – and set a new Olympic record to become the sixth-best throw in the event’s history, just behind Peters’ 93.07 metres (305.3ft) set in 2022.

The 29-year-old from Mian Channu is a two-time gold medallist at the Islamic Solidarity Games, finished third at the 2018 Asian Games, where Chopra took gold, and finished second at the 2023 World Championships.

The 23-year-old from Kalutara catapulted to global supremacy this season when his 92.62m feat in Rome produced the eighth-best throw in the world.

He became Sri Lanka’s first athlete to directly qualify for the javelin throw at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where he placed seventh (84.38m) in the final ahead of Chopra and Nadeem.

He opened his season with an 89.28m throw to win the Kip Keino Classic in April before throwing 85.97m to finish second at the Rabat Diamond League in May. Pathirage followed up his inaugural Diamond League win in Rome (92.62m) with another in Doha with an 88.68m throw.

He then threw 86.57m to win the Ostrava Golden Spike meet and round out his competition schedule ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Chopra was satisfied to have made the final, which was his main goal, given the “cold and windy” conditions in Edinburgh on Thursday morning.

“The conditions aren’t the best for javelin throwers,” Chopra said in a post-event interview, adding that crosswind made it difficult to assess where and how to throw.

“Everyone looks to be in good shape,” he said, admitting that the 12-man field would bring tough competition. Chopra heaped praise on Pathirage for adding Sri Lanka to the South Asian supremacy in javelin.

“The feeling is good, and I’m really happy to win the qualification round on the first throw,” Pathirage said.

“My confidence is good, and 2026 is my lucky year. Let’s see what happens tomorrow, and I will try for my personal best and a gold medal.”

Nadeem was slightly more critical of his qualifying round performance.

“The weather made it difficult to produce a good throw,” Nadeem told Al Jazeera. “It’s quite different from the hotter climate we have in Pakistan.

“I’m hopeful for a podium finish, but it all comes down to the wind and the kind of conditions we’re throwing in.

“But obviously I want to make the nation proud and win another gold medal,” he said.

Athletes will begin throwing on Friday, July 31, at 8:15pm local time (19:15 GMT) at Scotstoun Stadium.

The games – which, like the Olympics, are held every four years – bring together thousands of athletes from 71 countries and territories of the British Commonwealth.

Formerly known as the British Empire Games, the first edition was held in 1930 in Ontario, Canada.

A total of 77 nations and territories are participating at the 2026 games. Only 10 sports (including para-sports) are being contested after the lineup was scaled back following the inability of Australia’s state of Victoria to host the games at the last minute.