He was called into the national team for the European Championships in Sheffield. Russia saw off Israel, but were stopped by France in the semifinal. They overcame Germany in the match for the bronze medal, bringing Rigin his first European distinction. At Catania 2011, his first World Championships, he was defeated in the second round by USA's Gerek Meinhardt. These results pushed him to a world No.17 ranking at the end of the season and he was named “breakthrough of the year” by the Russian Fencing Federation.