How Poonam turned a rowing scholarship opportunity into an Asian Games dream

For Poonam, rowing started as a way to continue her education. She never imagined that this decision would eventually lead her to the Asian Games.

When she first picked up an oar, Poonam wasn’t chasing an international sports career. She was looking for an opportunity to achieve high school graduation through sports. A few years later, that decision took her into the national camp and gave her a chance to represent India at the Asian Games in the Women’s Coxless Four.

“I started rowing because I was given the opportunity to graduate through sports. At the time, I never thought that rowing would become my career. I just wanted to take the opportunity and see where it could take me,” she said.

Poonam, who used to compete in athletics, wanted to find better sporting opportunities after being limited by the facilities available in her district. Rowing offered her an opening in Chandigarh.

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At first, her goals were modest. She wanted to make it at the collegiate level and then test herself against the best in the country. However, each milestone made her dream bigger.

“Initially, my dream was to win a gold medal at the inter-collegiate and university level. Then I wanted to win a medal at the Senior Nationals. Slowly, my goals started to increase. We won gold medals at the Nationals, Senior Nationals and National Games and now I am at the Asian Games,” she said.

WHEN THE DREAM BEGAN TO GET BIGGER

The transition from an opportunity to a serious sports career was shaped by the environment in which Poonam trained. Her involvement with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) over the past year has given her access to a support system that goes beyond the boat and the water.

Apart from rowing, Poonam has access to nutrition, physiology and psychological support, elements that have helped her gain more confidence in her preparation.

“There have been a lot of changes after coming to Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS). I have been part of their rowing program for the last year. We get a lot of support here and the staff take care of our nutrition, physiology and psychology. This environment makes us feel more confident and we feel that we can do a lot more,” she said.

That belief also grew with the time she spent with her teammates. The crew have been training together consistently since last year after working towards a spot at the national camp.

In rowing, individual ability can only take an athlete. Timing, rhythm and confidence must come together, with each crew member responding to the same movement.

“We spent a lot of time training together and that helped us understand each other better. In rowing, everyone has to move together and keep the same rhythm. The more time we spend together, the more confident we become as a crew.”

The consistency of this preparation gave Poonam another reason to approach the Asian Games with faith.

“Participating in the Asian Games makes me feel very good. We have been working to get to the camp for the last few years and since last year we have been able to stay together and train consistently. This has helped us improve a lot and given me a lot of confidence,” she said.

EUROPE CHANGED WHAT IT SAW

If training together strengthened the crew, competing overseas changed Poonam’s view of how she stood internationally.

A training stint in Europe exposed her to strong rowing teams and, more importantly, the pressure that comes with competing against them. This experience helped her understand that the gap she once perceived was not as wide as she had imagined.

“Our trip to Europe was very good because we learned how to handle the pressure and control our nervousness during the race. Earlier, when we saw the European teams, we thought about when we would be able to beat them. But after competing with them, we realized that we are not too far behind. We can compete with them,” she added.

This realization gave Poonam a different mindset heading into the Asian Games. Instead of simply competing against an unfamiliar international field, she now has the experience of racing against strong opposition.

It’s another example of how her ambitions have evolved. An athlete who once hoped to win at the university level is now thinking of international medals and further Olympic qualification.

SEARCHING FOR MUSIC IN EVERY STREET

For all the pressure surrounding elite competition, Poonam’s connection to rowing remains rooted in something much simpler: she enjoys being on a boat.

In sports, he finds a rhythm that makes long sessions pass almost unnoticed. Each part of the move has its own movement and staying tuned to these details keeps it engaged.

“Every shot is like music. The catch is different, the finish is different and the movement of the boat is different. We don’t get bored because we are so involved. Sometimes we row for an hour or two and we don’t even realize how much time has passed,” she said.

That sense of rhythm now has a greater purpose. At the Asian Games, Poonam will join fellow IIS-backed rowers Tendenthoi Devi, Aleena Anto and Gurbani Kaur in the Women’s Coxless Four with a medal in sight.

For someone who initially picked up an oar simply because it opened the door to higher education, the path took an unexpected turn.

The scholarship gave Poonam an opportunity. The competition gave her ambition. International races gave her faith. And the time spent building the crew gave her confidence in what they could achieve together.

The Asian Games now offer another chance to see how far that first opportunity can take her.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

18 Sep 2026 17:02 IST