India’s only rowing medal at the 2026 Asian Games: Bronze worth gold

Indian rowers put up a disappointing performance at the 2026 Asian Games, returning with a single medal. Rowing has traditionally been one of India’s strengths at the Asian Games. In fact, the last time India came back with a single medal was in 2002 when the contingent won the solitary medal in the ‘coxless four’ competition.

The lone medal, a bronze, came in the men’s double sculls, but the crew that eventually won it was not the one India originally planned to field.

ROWING INSPECTION AT THE ASIAN GAMES

The 22-member Indian rowing contingent has been training for months ahead of the Asian Games. The team received a shock just two days before the start of their events when the coach and traveling members of the rowing federation informed the athletes that they would not be taking part in their usual events.

The The Rowing Federation of India has decided to regroup the crews after a typhoon in Nagoya forced the curtailment of rowing events at the Asian Games. The federation believed that changing the combinations would maximize India’s medal chances.

However, the late reshuffling raised an important question: Were the best athletes in the category not already selected for their disciplines?

Sources said that the original pair of Kulwinder and Navdeep had problems recording competitive times in practice and were stopped at the eleventh hour without consultation.

Sources also said that the athletes first heard about the changes before their rivals, in a public place where the rowing teams gathered. The decision left several rowers devastated, with some disbanding after being informed of the changes.

The rowers, most of whom were from the Indian Army, considered quitting but ultimately decided against it. They did not have the prospect of challenging the decision in their bones.

“We are army men, sir. What can we do? We will not break the chain of command,” said one of the oarsmen on condition of anonymity. Salman Khan won bronze at the 2026 Asian Games. (Image: Instagram/@salman_khan_rowing)

Among those affected was Salman Khan, a former taxi driver who took up rowing in the Indian Army. A quadruple rower, he was asked to partner Satnam Singh in the double sculls, an event in which Kulwinder and Navdeep Singh were originally to compete.

In the case of Salman and Satnam, sources said the pair performed better than Kulwinder and Navdeep in training, prompting the federation to entrust them with the task of winning a medal in the double sculls.

“Imagine training for 7 months straight for your event, only to be told two days before that you have to take part in another event,” Salman told India Today after returning to India.

“It was a shock and we didn’t know how to react,” he added.

Salman was devastated by this decision. He spoke on the phone with his wife over the next two days before finally deciding to compete. He didn’t have much of a choice.

FROM CABINET TO INDIAN ARMY

Raised in a farming family in Uttar Pradesh, Salman has already been through the mill. At 6 feet 5 inches tall, he had the build to get into the Indian Army and was preparing for the entrance exams. But life threw him a curveball when his father died of dengue fever in 2016.

Salman, who was 18 at the time, had to leave his preparations and move to Delhi to support his family.

“I bought a Wagon R and drove it for a year and a half. It was the only car in my budget that I could fit into,” laughed Salman.

“I used to earn 35-40 thousand and send it home. But one of my friends forced me to take the army exam again. So I quit taxi driving, I gave everything to prepare for the written and physical exam. I studied and ran 7 km every day,” he added.

Fortunately, he deleted the exams. Salman Khan was preparing to join the Indian Army. (Image: Instagram/@salman_khan_rowing)

Introduced to rowing in the Indian Army, Salman slowly built a career in the sport. Before his first performance at the Asian Games, he trained for six months without taking a single day off.

Salman said he was well prepared and that the quad team believed they had a real chance of a medal. But that trust was to be tested.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ASIAN GAMES

For an athlete like Salman, an Asian Games medal can mean much more than a podium finish. Rewards can bring financial security, while success in the military can also open the door to promotion and greater social status.

For Salman, the quadruple event represented months of preparation and a real push for a medal. Being told to switch to the double skiff just two days before the competition meant starting over just as he expected to put the preparation to the test.

Despite his disappointment, Salman decided to compete alongside Satnam. The two rowed together in a double skiff in training, but neither was in the right mental space going into the race. Salman Khan won bronze in men’s doubles alongside Satnam Singh. (Image: X/@indiannavy)

“We are army men, sir. We are not trained to quit. Yes, we were hurt for ourselves and our teammates, but we chose to do it for our country. If we stop following the chain of command, what example will that set for others?” Salman said.

On the day of the race, Salman and Satnam gave everything they had. The circumstances could not be ignored, but they took their frustration, anger and disappointment into the race. Halfway through the event, they were even in contention for the gold, but fatigue and the unusual workload eventually caught up with them.

They finished third, securing the bronze medal for India. It turned out to be the only medal in the country’s rowing campaign that would save the contingent from returning empty-handed.

They were both crying when they got out of the water. The result brought relief and pride, but it was hard to celebrate knowing what their teammates had been through.

“We couldn’t even celebrate, you know. How could we? Our joy was built on someone else’s misfortune. Me and Satnam thanked each other. That was about it,” Salman said.

At home, Salman and Satnam were rewarded for their success. Satnam received Rs 50 crore from the Punjab government, while Salman received Rs 75 crore from Uttar Pradesh.

Salman said the money was a life-changing amount for someone from his background. The medal also saved India’s rowing campaign, which was threatened by last-minute changes.

For Salman and his family, it meant financial security after years of struggle. It meant returning home with a medal for the Indian contingent when the campaign threatened to end in disappointment. And for Salman and Satnam, it was a podium finish at an event they hadn’t prepared for months, under circumstances they never anticipated.

Perhaps this is what made bronze worth gold.

– The end