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 claiming bronze at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course.But for Satnam, the medal meant much more than a place on the podium.“Today, a Khan and a 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 about, and that disturbs us. I want our people to stop fighting on religious lines,” Satnam told HT.The pair clocked 6:13.25 to finish third. China’s Yi Xudi and Nie Yide won gold in 6:09.77, while Uzbekistan’s Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov and Pavel Sorin took silver in 6:10.49. Satnam and Salman were second at the 1,500m mark but slipped to third in the final 500m.
A medal that brought two journeys together
Satnam and Salman had originally been selected for the quadruple sculls team along with Jakar Khan and Balraj Panwar. However, after a change in the team combinations, the duo was moved to the double sculls event in place of Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh.Satnam admitted the change did affect them, but the two decided to focus on giving their best.“I won’t say we were not affected by it, but we decided to give our best. It helped that me and Salman have been training together for seven months for quadruple sculls, so we had good understanding,” Satnam said.He also felt the conditions helped them.“The tailwind helped us today and the waters were still. We were the lightest finalists, which helped us go faster. Both of us weigh about 85kgs each while the rest of the rowers were in 90-95kg range.”
Satnam’s road to the podium
For Satnam, the bronze also helped erase the disappointment of the previous Asian Games. China and Uzbekistan had won gold and silver in the event at the previous edition, although with different rowers. Satnam, who had competed with Parminder Singh, had finished last among six pairs in Hangzhou.“The failure in Hangzhou had haunted me all these years and I was waiting for this Asiad to redeem myself. I was also part of the quadruple team that won a bronze there. We were on course for a silver in 2023 but I was exhausted and passed out which had cost us a second-place result. So all that weighed heavy on me coming into the competition,” Satnam said.The 26-year-old comes from Fatta Maluka village in Punjab’s Mansa district and is employed in the Indian Navy as a Chief Petty Officer. A former national-level handball player, Satnam also played volleyball before taking up rowing. He was inspired by London Olympian Swarn Singh Virk, who also comes from Mansa.“I was into multiple sports at school, and once my PT teacher invited Swarn Singh to our school to have a word with kids. Swarn comes from Mansa as well, so he was an instant inspiration,” Satnam recalled.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 the sports quota and later trained at SAI centres in Odisha and Alleppey.
A promise to his mother
Satnam grew up in a family with 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 with the 28 Punjab Regiment based in Jammu, supported his early training. Satnam later joined the Army Rowing Node in Pune in 2022.“I am happy to have given them something to cheer about after all these years. I had promised my mom that I’ll make up for that Hangzhou heartbreak. I am happy to have done that,” he said.Satnam is also proud of his roots and the athletes who have come from Mansa.“There is something about Mansa that it produces strong people. Swarn Singh and double Asiad medallist rower Sukhmeet Singh are also from here. A lot of our boys join the army,” he said.Late Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala was another of Satnam’s heroes.“He remains an absolute star. I listen to his songs while warming-up,” he said.
From driving an Uber to an Asian Games medal
Salman’s journey to the Asian Games podium has also been 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 truck-body construction company in Tauru, Haryana, where Salman completed his schooling. His life changed when his father died of dengue when Salman was 18. He then drove an Uber in Delhi to support his family before joining the Bombay Engineering Group of the Indian Army in 2018.It was there that Salman discovered rowing. His 6’4″ frame and raw power caught the attention of coaches, and he began training at the Army Rowing Node under senior coach Kudrat Ali and Training Officer Major Nagendra Hooda.“It feels like a dream come true. I was expecting to win a medal at the Asian Games, and I am delighted that I could fulfil that expectation. But this is only the beginning; my next target is the Los Angeles Olympics,” Salman, a Naib Subedar in the Army, said.“I know what struggle means in life, but I never lost hope. I kept working hard and continued to believe in myself.”
