Rome, June 5 (HS): Olympic champion Noah Lyles delivered a commanding performance to win the men's 100 metres at the Rome Diamond League 2026 on Thursday, while Sri Lanka's Ramesh Tharanga Pathirage produced a historic display in the javelin throw event to emerge as one of the standout performers of the meet.

Lyles clinched victory in the men's 100 metres with a time of 9.88 seconds. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme finished second, while Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo secured third place.

Italy’s former Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs finished fifth in front of the home crowd.

Pathirage Makes History in Javelin Throw

In the men's javelin throw competition, Ramesh Tharanga Pathirage produced a remarkable throw of 92.62 metres to claim victory and move into eighth place on the discipline’s all-time world rankings list.

The Sri Lankan star surpassed his previous season-best mark of 89.37 metres, which he had recorded in March. Despite the milestone achievement, he remains short of the world record of 98.48 metres held by legendary Czech javelin thrower Jan Železný.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second, while American athlete Curtis Thompson secured third place.

Julien Alfred Stuns Rivals in Women's 200 Metres

In the women's 200 metres, Julien Alfred produced a superb late surge to defeat reigning world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and claim first place.

Alfred crossed the finish line in 21.93 seconds. Jefferson-Wooden finished second, while Anavia Battle completed the podium in third place.

The Rome Diamond League meeting witnessed several world-class performances, but the headline acts belonged to Noah Lyles’ dominant sprint victory and Ramesh Tharanga Pathirage’s history-making javelin throw, which further enhanced his status among the world's elite athletes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar