KIUG 2025: Asian Champion High Jumper Pooja Targets Asian Games, World Junior Medals After Record-Breaking Comeback

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Jaipur, Dec 4: In sport, the biggest wins don't always come from the biggest jumps. Sometimes, they come from getting back up after a fall. And that is exactly what teenage reigning Asian Champion Pooja Singh has just done.

At the Khelo India University Games 2025 in Jaipur, Pooja returned to competition after five long months of haitus due to injury. She trained for only three weeks before coming to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the Pink City, yet she still won gold with a clean and confident jump of 1.77m, breaking the meet record of 1.76m for Lovely Professional University (LPU). It was her debut at the KIUG. Though it wasn't her personal best, but the message was loud and clear: 'I'm Back'.

At just 18, her resume looks already stunning: Asian Championships Gold, Asian U-20 Silver, Asian U-18 Gold, U-20 National Record Holder, Represented India at Asian Games & World U-20, Broke the National Games Record (2025), Ranked No. 6 in Asia in 2025. A list many athletes dream of, she's achieved before turning 20.

This is the same athlete who, earlier this year, won gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, clearing a stunning 1.89m, a jump that broke her own U-20 national record and stamped her as one of India's brightest young stars.

But after that high came the sudden low, a Grade-2 ligament tear, forcing her off the track, off the field, and off competition for months. For an athlete moving fast, five months can feel like five years.

Now, she has restarted her journey under her new coach Sergey, at the Anju Bobby George Academy. Sergey brings strong high-jump knowledge, being the husband of Svetlana Radzivil, a three-time Asian Games champion. Her comeback gold shows she hasn't lost her spark. In fact, she's hungrier than before.

The Indian High Jump Scenario

Pooja's return comes at a time when India desperately need depth in women's high jump. She tells myKhel with simplicity and honesty: "When I was injured, only one jumper Gobika was clearing 1.80m. And now she is injured too."

It's a reminder of how thin the bench strength is, and how important Pooja's rise is for Indian athletics. After clinching a gold medal on her injury comeback, the 18-year-old said: "I've just made a comeback after injury. My performance wasn't great, but I'm still happy. I've trained only for three weeks, so it felt good to compete again."

When asked about how she keeps herself motivated, the teenager said: "Resetting your mind is very hard after five months of rest. But I never give up. If I get good competitors, my body performs better. People around me (during the injury lay-off and rehab) kept me motivated."

At the previous Junior World Athletics Championships 2024 in Lima (Peru), the Haryana girl finished ninth. The Asian Junior silver-medallist now targets a podium finish at in the Junior Worlds in Oregon (USA) next year.

On her goals: "At the Junior Worlds, I did well. I even set a record. But this time, I want to return with a medal. I will give it everything... "Next year is very important for me. I want to win medals at both the Asian Games and the World Junior Championships."

Talking about her debut at the KIUG, the Fetahabad-born athlete said, "It was very good experience for me as I won a gold medal in my debut for Khelo India University Games 2025. I am excited for the next season of KIUG and hope to see more participants in the playing field next time for a stiffer competition will motivate me to to do better."

Pooja's comeback jump wasn't just 1.77m. It was a message to the track, to her competitors, and to herself: I'm not done. I'm only getting started.

In a sport where every centimetre matters, Pooja Singh is proving that heart, hunger and courage can take you higher than any bar. Her rise is not just India's hope for the future. It is India's reminder that champions don't fall. They only pause and then rise again.