Samitha Dulan Kodituwakku competed in the F64 category of the Javelin Throw event on September 2nd at 11.30 p.m. With his fifth throw, he broke the previous world record in the F44 category, measuring 67.03 meters. His prior throws for the evening were 63.14, 63.61, 55.01, and 63.73; this was his best throw of the evening.
It’s not an easy task to win a silver medal at the Paralympics, but Dulan has exceeded expectations by shattering the world record and boosting national pride. Though he broke the world record multiple times after the Tokyo Olympics, Sumit Antil, an Indian athlete, was able to throw the javelin to a distance of 70.59 meters, which was the best throw of the entire evening and prevented him from winning gold.
Following his bronze in the Tokyo Games, this victory marks Kodithuwakku’s second Paralympic medal in the Men’s F64 Javelin Finals. His prior throws demonstrated that one strong throw moved him up from fifth to second place.
Being the sole Sri Lankan athlete to date to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Kodituwakku’s accomplishment represents the furthest an athlete from his home country has gone. In May of this year, he also shattered the world record he had set for himself. We are so proud of him since he has exceeded a medal, which is an extremely challenging accomplishment in and of itself. His achievement is something we should all be proud of, and this historic event is a significant step for our athletes.
Watch the Paralympics live on Dialog Television (Ch.63), the Dialog Viu App, and the ThePapare.com website on Sri Lanka’s top sports channel, The Papare.
