“I Felt I Could Win Gold”: Rishabh Giri Out Of Asian U-20 Athletics Championships After Injury

Just when everything was falling perfectly into place for India's rising javelin thrower Rishabh Giri, fate delivered a heartbreaking twist.

A few weeks ago at the Junior Federation Cup in Tumkur, Karnataka, the Uttar Pradesh youngster looked unstoppable. He comfortably crossed the qualification mark for the upcoming Asian U-20 Athletics Championships and even produced the best performance of his young career.

Rishabh first threw 72.10m in qualification and later registered a personal best of 72.96m in the final to claim bronze medal. The qualification standard for the Asian U-20 Championships was only 65.32m, and Rishabh crossed it with ease.

His series - 70.86m, 72.09m, 64.90m, 72.96m, 69.55m and 69.15m, showed incredible consistency and maturity for an U-20 athlete. Only Asian U-20 silver medallist Rohan Yadav (73.37m) and Ashish Yadav (73.12m) finished ahead of him.

But behind the personal best and celebrations, Rishabh was already carrying an injury that would soon crush his biggest dream of the season - Asian U-20 Athletics Championships 2026, to be held in Hong Kong from May 28 to May 31, 2026. "My foot twisted during the jump phase," speaking to myKhel in an exclusive interview, Rishabh revealed that the injury happened during the competition itself.

"I suffered the ankle injury during the Junior Federation Cup. While I was throwing, my foot twisted during the jump phase. It happened during my second throw. The doctor said my ankle would take around one month to recover, which is why I have to skip the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships."

What makes the story even more painful is that despite the injury, Rishabh continued competing and later produced his career-best throw in the fourth round. At that moment, he still believed everything was under control.

"When my ankle twisted during the second throw, it didn't feel [at that moment] that I would miss the Asian U-20 Championships because I even achieved my personal best in the fourth throw," said Rishabh, who trains at the Reliance Foundation under the guidance of Steve Lemke.

But once the competition ended and medical checks were done, reality hit hard "After the competition, when I spoke to the physio, he told me that I would have to miss the Asian U-20 Championships and should now focus on preparing for the World U-20 Championships."

A Medal Hope India Will Miss in Hong Kong

The Asian U-20 Athletics Championships will be held in Hong Kong from May 28 to 31, and Rishabh was expected to be one of India's strongest medal contenders. His numbers this season prove exactly why.

Before the Junior Federation Cup, he had already opened his 2026 season strongly at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala, where he finished second with another personal best of 72.51m.

Last year too, Rishabh had shown his immense potential by breaching the World U-20 Championships qualification mark at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar with 68.76m. He later crossed the qualification mark once again at the Junior Federation Cup, proving that his rise was no coincidence.

Currently, Rishabh stands seventh in the U-20 men's javelin throw world lead this year and second in Asia among U-20 athletes. Those rankings made him one of India's brightest medal hopes.

And Rishabh himself believed he had a real chance to stand on top of the podium. "Yes, it is disappointing because I felt I could have won the gold medal at the Asian U-20 Championships. But now there's nothing much I can do about it. It's okay, I will now focus on preparing for the World U-20 Championships."

Rishabh, who idolises 2022 World Championships finalist Rohit Yadav, is also from the same region. While Rohit belongs to Dhabiya village, Rishabh's village Adari is located just 700 metres away from Rohit's place.

A Setback, Not The End

For a young athlete, missing a major international championship due to injury can be emotionally devastating. Especially when you achieve the form of your life around the same time. But even in disappointment, Rishabh's mindset reflects calmness and maturity.

Instead of dwelling on the missed opportunity, the young Indian thrower has already shifted his focus toward recovery and the World U-20 Championships 2026, scheduled to be held between August 5 and 9 in Oregon (USA).

At an age where many athletes struggle to handle setbacks, Rishabh is learning one of sport's toughest lessons very early: sometimes the body stops you even when the dream feels within touching distance.

Perhaps that is why this story feels bigger than just a missed championship. Because for Indian athletics, this may not be the story of a dream ending. It may simply be the story of a bigger comeback waiting to happen.