‘Khan and Singh medal for India today’: Satnam Singh on Asian Games rowing bronze

Satnam Singh and Salman Khan win India’s first ever Asian Games medal in men’s double sculls (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Satnam Singh and Salman Khan won India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in men’s double sculls on Thursday, with the Indian pair clinching bronze at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course.But for Satnam, the medal meant much more than just a place on the podium.“Today, Khan and Singh won a medal for India. I want people to remember that. Long after we are gone, this fact will live on. Salman is like a brother to me. There are things we hear and read and it worries us. I want our people to stop fighting on religious lines,” Satnam told HT.The pair clocked 6:13.25 to finish third. The Chinese Yi Xudi and Nie Yide won the gold in 6:09.77, the silver was taken by Uzbekistan’s Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov and Pavel Sorin in 6:10.49. Satnam and Salman were second in the 1500m but dropped to third in the final 500m.

A medal that connected two paths

Satnam and Salman were initially selected for the quadruple team along with Jakar Khan and Balraj Panwar. However, following a change in team combinations, the duo was moved to the double sculls event in place of Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh.Satnam admitted that the change affected them, but they both decided to focus on doing their best.“I won’t say it didn’t affect us, but we decided to give it our all. It helped that Salman and I trained for the quadrilateral for seven months, so we understood each other well,” Satnam said.He also felt that the conditions helped them.“The tailwind helped us today and the waters were calm. We were the lightest finishers, which helped us go faster. We both weigh about 85kg, while the other rowers were in the 90-95kg range.”

Satnam’s journey to the podium

The bronze also helped Satnam erase the disappointment of the previous Asian Games. China and Uzbekistan won gold and silver in the event at the previous edition, albeit with different rowers. Competing with Parminder Singh, Satnam finished last among six pairs in Hangzhou.“The failure in Hangzhou has haunted me all these years and I was waiting for this Asiad to redeem itself. I was also part of the four-member team that won bronze there. We were aiming for silver in 2023, but I was exhausted and fainted, which cost us second place. So all that weighed on me coming into the competition,” Satnam.The 26-year-old hails from Fatta Maluka village in Punjab’s Mansa district and is employed in the Indian Navy as a chief petty officer. A former national handball player, Satnam also played volleyball before taking up rowing. He was inspired by London Olympian Swarn Singh Virk, who also hails from Mansa.“I was involved in multiple sports in school and once my PT teacher invited Swarn Singh to our school to talk to the kids. Swarn is also from Mansa so he was an instant inspiration,” recalled Satnam.Swarn encouraged him to take up rowing and Satnam joined the Punjab Institute of Sports in Ropar where he began training under Virjender Singh Cheema.Satnam joined the Navy in 2019 through sports quota and later trained at SAI centers in Odisha and Alleppey.

A promise to his mother

Satnam grew up in a family of limited means. His father, Amrik Singh, grew cotton on their farm, while his mother, Harjeet Kaur, tailored clothes to support the family. His brother Gurpiar Singh, a soldier in the 28th Punjab Regiment based in Jammu, supported his early training. Satnam later joined the Army Rowing Unit in Pune in 2022.“I’m happy to give them something to cheer about after all these years. I promised my mom I’d make up for the broken heart in Hangzhou. I’m happy I did,” he said.Satnam is also proud of its roots and athletes who hail from Mansa.“There is something about Mansa that produces strong people. Swarn Singh and two-time Asian medalist rower Sukhmeet Singh are also from here. A lot of our boys go into the army,” he said.Another of Satnam’s heroes was the late Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala.“He remains an absolute star. I listen to his songs in the warm-up,” he said.

From driving an Uber to winning an Asian Games medal

Salman’s journey to the Asian Games podium was also shaped by struggle. Born in Pure Dhingai in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, Salman is the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. His father, Mohd Kasim Khan, worked in a body manufacturing firm in Taur, Haryana, where Salman completed his schooling. His life changed when his father died of dengue when Salman was 18. He then drove Uber in Delhi to support the family before joining the Bombay Engineering Group of the Indian Army in 2018.There Salman discovered rowing. His 6’4″ frame and brute strength caught the attention of coaches and he began training at the Army Rowing Unit under senior coach Kudrat Ali and training officer Major Nagendra Hooda.“It feels like a dream come true. I expected to win a medal in the Asian Games and I am happy that I have fulfilled that expectation. But this is just the beginning; my next goal is the Los Angeles Olympics,” said Salman, Army Naib Subedar.“I know what it means to struggle in life, but I never lost hope. I kept working hard and kept believing in myself.”