At the Junior Federation Cup 2026 in Tumkur, a strong group of young athletes stepped up in the U-20 men’s javelin throw qualification. A total of eight athletes crossed the Asian U-20 Championships qualifying mark of 65.32m, showing the depth of talent coming through the system.
Leading the list was Rishabh Giri, who threw 72.10m, the best mark in qualification. He was followed by Dharanidharan T (70.65m) and Rajat Kumar (69.83m), both comfortably clearing the standard.
Others who made the cut include:
Ashish Yadav (67.43m), Himanshu (66.74m), Mangal Singh (66.51m), Kallolepa Bandiv (65.75m), and Chetan Jat (65.34m).
Interestingly, Rohan Yadav (69.07m) and Pankaj Gavale (68.11m) also crossed the mark but will not be eligible for the Asian U-20 Championships due to age rules. Only athletes born in 2007 or later can compete.
With so many athletes in form, the final promises to be a thrilling contest.
Defending champion Dipesh Chaudhary will be one of the key names to watch. He will face tough competition from Rishabh Giri and Himanshu, both of whom have already shown top-level potential.
Last year, both Dipesh and Rishabh had crossed the World U-20 qualification mark of 68.50m, proving they can deliver on big stages.
But one name stands out, Himanshu.
The young thrower, who won the U-18 Junior Nationals, created headlines when he broke a long-standing meet record set by Neeraj Chopra in Bhubaneswar. He first threw 79.96m and then improved it to 80.38m (700g javelin) in the final.
He also gained valuable experience training alongside Neeraj Chopra and Jan Železný in South Africa, a rare opportunity for any young athlete.
This performance in Tumkur is more than just numbers. It shows that India is building a strong pipeline in javelin throw.