World-leading javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga underlined his status as the man to beat in world athletics with another sensational performance, winning the men’s javelin at the prestigious Weltklasse meeting in Zurich with a massive 92.07 metres.

‎Tharanga’s best effort came in the final round and left him just 21 centimetres short of the meeting record of 92.28m, which has stood for three decades.

‎The 23-year-old first overcome first round challenge from two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada. Peters took the early lead with a first-round throw of 86.93m, but Tharanga responded in the second round with 88.23m to move ahead.

‎He then increased his advantage in the third round before producing his best effort of the night in the final round, sending the javelin soaring to 92.07m.

‎Peters had to settle for second with 86.93m, while Poland’s Dawid Wegner was third with 85.16m. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott finished fourth with 83.02m, followed by Kenya’s Julius Yego (81.66m) and American Marc Anthony Minichello (80.38m).

‎The Zurich victory further strengthens Tharanga’s position at the top of the world javelin hierarchy at a crucial stage of the season. With the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels just a week away and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship looming, he has emerged as the athlete everyone will be watching.

‎Tharanga’s latest 92-metre-plus throw also provides a timely reminder of his extraordinary consistency at the highest level, as he continues his remarkable rise among the world’s elite javelin throwers. (RF)

Less than 40 minutes after Alison dos Santos made history in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Weltklasse, another world record fell at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Zurich as Masai Russell sped to a 12.09* clocking to win the women’s 100m hurdles.

The Olympic champion, who had come close to the world record twice already this year, produced a flawless run over the barriers and stopped the clock at 12.09 (0.0m/s), taking 0.03 off the previous world record.

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the world record-holder heading into this race, was second in a season’s best of 12.23. European champion Nadine Visser was third in a season’s best of 12.34.

[World Athletics]

by Rex Clementine

A match saving hundred by Sonal Dinusha helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the second Test against India at the SSC yesterday. India won the series 1-0, having claimed the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs.

Sri Lanka were 429 for nine in their second innings, with Dinusha unbeaten on 133, when the teams shook hands and called off the game with the 15 mandatory overs about to begin.

Sri Lanka, who were forced to follow on after conceding a first innings deficit of 213 runs, began the final day staring down the barrel at 229 for six, leading by just 16 runs with three sessions to survive.

In young Sonal Dinusha, however, the hosts seem to have unearthed a gem. He batted superbly under pressure to ensure Sri Lanka earned a draw and picked up some valuable points in the World Test Championship.

Dinusha had been Sri Lanka’s standout performer throughout the series, having made 100 and 84 in the first Test in Galle before following it up with 103 in the first innings at the SSC and an unbeaten 133 in the second essay to finish the series with 420 runs.

It was only the fifth Test for the 25-year-old, but he batted with authority and showed remarkable composure in a back to the wall effort.

India threw everything at him, including the second new ball, but Dinusha remained unmoved as he became only the eighth Sri Lankan to score hundreds in both innings of a Test, joining an exclusive list comprising Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva, T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.

The match saving hundred was Dinusha’s third in Test cricket and also his career-best score.

Dinusha could not have done it all by himself, however, as he received excellent support from Sri Lanka’s lower order.

He added 112 runs from 246 deliveries for the seventh wicket with Keshara Nuwantha as Sri Lanka batted through the entire morning session without losing a wicket.

India finally found the breakthrough in the first over after lunch when Nuwantha departed for a well compiled 46.

Dinusha then added 25 runs for the eighth wicket from 74 balls with Prabath Jayasuriya to keep Sri Lanka afloat. After Jayasuriya’s dismissal, Lahiru Kumara joined Dinusha and the pair added 47 runs for the ninth wicket from 170 deliveries, keeping India in the field for even longer and eating further into the time available for the tourists to force a victory.

Questions will be asked of India’s bowling attack after they were unable to run through Sri Lanka’s lower order on a fifth day pitch despite having the hosts six wickets down at the start of play.