Asian Games 2026: Balraj Panwar, Babu Lal Yadav Lead India’s Rowing Push To End Asiad Gold Drought

India's top rowers Balraj Panwar and Babu Lal Yadav exuded confidence of ending the country's long wait for Asian Games gold medals in rowing at this year's showpiece continental event in Japan after falling short of the top prize in the previous edition.

India has won two rowing gold medals at the Asian Games -- in Guangzhou 2010 and Jakarta 2018 -- while the team returned with five medals, including two silver and three bronze, from the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Yadav was among the medallists, clinching bronze in the coxless pairs event three years ago, while Panwar agonisingly missed out on a podium finish in single sculls after ending fourth.

Both the Army men, who will be part of the Indian rowing contingent at the upcoming Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, are extremely confident that with the support they are receiving and the intense preparations at the Army Rowing Node in Pune, India can end its eight-year wait for a rowing gold medal at the continental showpiece.

"I am very confident that this time we will win gold medals at the Asian Games as well. Our Australian coach, Antony Patterson, is a vastly experienced person and the way he shares his experiences with us is helping build a winning mindset within the team," said Yadav during an interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday.

Patterson, who has previously worked in Mexico, Canada and Japan and is associated with the Army Rowing Node in Pune, has been at the forefront of driving data-led improvements in the Indian camp.

He has provided valuable insight into sport-specific performance monitoring systems, helping rowers better understand the biomechanics and kinetics involved in the sport.

"The device is called SpeedCoach. It tells us how many kilometres we have rowed, how much power we are generating in each stroke, and gives us detailed data on every aspect of our performance. It tracks the progress we are making, the number of strokes we take and the time taken as well.

"For rowers, SpeedCoach has become an indispensable gadget," said Panwar, who qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and finished 23rd, but impressed by winning gold at the Asian Rowing Championships in Hai Phong, Vietnam, last year.

Panwar said he missed out on a medal at the Asian Games in 2023 because he was relatively new to the sport then, having only one to one-and-a-half years of experience at the time.

"At that time, my international experience was very limited. Because of that inexperience, my skill level was also not as developed. But now I have trained consistently for nearly three years since then and also gained exposure from the Olympics, Asian Championships and World Championships..

"My skills have improved significantly and I am very confident of improving on my fourth-place finish from the previous Asian Games and finishing No.1 this time in Japan," added Panwar.

Yadav signed off by saying that India will compete in seven men’s events at the upcoming Asian Games and the team would be aiming to finish on the podium in each of them, with gold medals firmly on their minds.