On September 2nd, 11.30pm, Samitha Dulan Kodituwakku competed in the Javelin Throw event, in the F64 category. He recorded his fifth throw of 67.03m, breaking the previous world record in the F44 category. This was his best throw of his night, as his previous throws were 63.14, 63.61, 55.01 and 63.73.
Securing a silver medal in the Paralympics is no easy feat, and Dulan has gone one step further in breaking the world record and bringing pride to our country. However, he was unable to win gold due to Sumit Antil, the Indian athlete who threw the javelin to record a distance of 70.59 meters, the best throw of the whole night, and he broke the world record multiple times before too, being the previous holder of the world record following the Tokyo Olympics.
With this win, it is Kodithuwakku’s second Paralympic medal in the Men’s F64 Javelin Finals, following his Bronze medal in Tokyo. As seen through his previous throws, this one good throw carried him from fifth place to second place.
Kodituwakku’s achievement and medal is the furthest that any Sri Lankan athlete has made it in the Olympics and Paralympics. He is the only athlete thus far in Paris 2024 who has won a medal for our country. We incredibly proud of him for he has surpassed a medal, a difficult task on its own. This historic event is unprecedented and a huge step for our athletes, and his accomplishment is one we must all celebrate.
Watch the Paralympics Live on Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports Channel – ThePapare available on Dialog Television (Ch.63), Dialog Viu App, and ThePapare.com website.
