Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku of Sri Lanka secured the silver medal in the Men’s Javelin Throw (F64) event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Dulan achieved a personal best distance of 67.03 meters, breaking his own previous World Record of 66.49 meters in the F44 category.
India’s Sumit Antil defended his gold medal in the event with a remarkable throw of 70.59 meters, setting a new Paralympic Games record. Sumit had earlier set the record with a throw of 69.11 meters before surpassing it in the next round.
Australia’s Michal Buran claimed the bronze medal with a throw of 64.89 meters.
Dulan’s silver marks Sri Lanka’s first medal at the Paris Paralympic Games. He had previously won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with a throw of 65.61 meters and also secured bronze at the 2023 World Para Athletics World Championship in Paris.
Hailing from Deniyaya, Samitha Dulan is a Corporal in the Military Police of the Sri Lanka Army. He has a distinguished record in international para-athletics, including participation in the Asian Para Games, World Para Games, and National Para Games.