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Asian Games: Satnam and Salman deliver a medal and a message
Satnam Singh and Salman Khan won India's first-ever medal in double sculls at the Asiad — a bronze — on Thursday
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When Satnam Singh and Salman Khan departed for the Asian Games, they were pencilled in for quadruple sculls along with Jakar Khan and Balraj Panwar. However, following the controversial rejig of team combinations, the duo was sent to compete in double sculls in place of Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh. Unfazed, they delivered a bronze medal in Nagaragawa International Regatta Course on Thursday — India's first in the event — clocking 6:13.25 minutes.
Chinese pair of Yi Xudi-Nie Yide won gold with a time of 6:09.77 followed by Uzbekistan's Mamatkulov Mekhrojbek and Sorin Pavel (6:10.49). The Satnam-Salman pair was in second place till the 1,500m-mark but fell to third in the final 500m.
"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 told HT.
Deep Dive
"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."
China and Uzbekistan had won a gold and silver in the event in the previous edition of Asian Games as well, albeit with different set of rowers. Satnam, then rowing with Parminder Singh, had finished last among six pairs.
"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.
Hailing from Fatta Maluka village in Punjab's Mansa district, Satnam is employed in Indian Navy as a Chief Petty Officer. A former national-level handball player, Satnam also dabbled with volleyball growing up and took to rowing after being inspired by London Olympian Swarn Singh Virk.
"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," the 26-year-old recalled.
Swarn was impressed with Satnam's physical attributes and advised him to take up rowing. And so, Satnam landed in Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS) in Ropar where his journey began under the tutelage of Virjender Singh Cheema. Satnam joined the navy in 2019 on a sports quota and has also had stints at SAI centres in Odisha and Alleppey.
Youngest of three siblings, 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 help the family get by. "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's brother Gurpiar Singh, a soldier in 28 Punjab regiment and based in Jammu, funded his early training before he was incorporated in the Army Rowing Node (ARN) in Pune in 2022.
"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," Satnam said.
Also from the city is late Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala, another of Satnam's heroes. "He remains an absolute star. I listen to his songs while warming-up," he said.
His teammate, Salman, has had an equally inspirational career arc. 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 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. Salman drove an Uber in Delhi to support his family and joined the Bombay Engineering Group of the Indian army in 2018. It was there that he discovered rowing. Soon enough, his 6'4" frame and raw power caught the attention of ARN scouts and he found himself training 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 Sudedar 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."
Medal won, Satnam chose the occasion to speak of something more pertinent and profound. "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," he said.
