Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated rowers Satnam Singh and Salman Khan after they secured a historic bronze medal for India in the men’s double sculls at the Asian Games, becoming the first Indian pair to win a medal in the event.
The Prime Minister praised the duo for their performance, saying their composure and coordination stood out and expressing hope that the achievement would inspire them to scale greater heights in the years ahead.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, “A fine performance by Satnam Singh and Salman Khan in the Men’s Double Sculls, earning India a well-deserved Bronze medal. Their composure and coordination stood out. May this achievement inspire them to scale even greater heights in the years ahead.”
The Indian pair clocked 6:13.25 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course. They remained in second position until the 1,500-metre mark before slipping to third in the final 500 metres.
China’s Yi Xudi and Yide Nie won the gold medal with a timing of 6:09.37, while Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov took silver in 6:10.49. India finished 3.88 seconds behind the gold medallists.
The medal marked another Asian Games success for 26-year-old Satnam, who had previously won bronze in the men’s quadruple sculls at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Satnam’s journey from handball to rowing
Satnam, from Punjab’s Mansa district, began his sporting career as a national-level handball player before taking up rowing around eight years ago. He was inspired to make the switch by Olympian Swarn Singh Virk, who won gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Satnam represented India at the 2018 Youth Olympics, where he finished eighth. He later won the men’s single sculls title at the 40th Senior National Rowing Championships, becoming the first Indian Navy rower to win the event.
He was also part of India’s gold-winning men’s quadruple sculls team at the Senior Asian Rowing Championships last year.
Salman Khan claims maiden Asian Games medal
For 28-year-old Salman Khan, the bronze was his first Asian Games medal.
Salman began rowing in 2018 after joining the Bombay Engineering Group of the Indian Army. Coaches Satywan, Satish Siraat and Prabhat Mishra introduced him to the sport and selected him for the centre’s team. He subsequently represented his battalion and competed in inter-centre championships.
Salman considered giving up rowing twice, but continued following encouragement from his coaches. He won gold at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat and also claimed the indoor national title that year.
He was later inducted into the Army Rowing Node (ARN), where he trained under senior coach Kudrat Ali. In 2023, he won gold at both the Senior Nationals and Open Sprint Nationals, performances that earned him a place in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) programme.
Panwar narrowly misses rowing medal
India narrowly missed another rowing medal in the men’s single sculls, with Balraj Panwar finishing fourth in the final with a time of 6:54.80.
Panwar held second position at the 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m marks but dropped to fourth during the final 500 metres.
China’s Deng Zhiwei won the gold medal in 6:38.98, leaving Panwar 15.82 seconds behind the winner.
India’s previous Asian Games medal in the men’s single sculls came at the 2014 Incheon Games, where Sawarn Singh won bronze. Bajrang Lal Thakkar remains the only Indian to win gold in the event, having claimed the historic title at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
(With PTI inputs)
