Asian Games 2026: Satnam Singh And Salman Khan Make History With India’s Maiden Men’s Double Sculls Bronze

Satnam Singh and Salman Khan made history by winning bronze in the men’s double sculls at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, finishing third in Final A at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course to secure India’s maiden medal in the event.

The Indian pair clocked 6:13.25 to secure the bronze medal. China’s Yi Xudi and Yide Nie won gold with a time of 6:09.77, while Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov took silver in 6:10.49.

Satnam and Salman were in second place until the 1,500m mark before slipping to third during the final 500m. They finished 3.88 seconds behind the Chinese winners.

The duo had secured their place in the medal race after finishing second in their heat with a time of 6:15.63.

The medal came after India reshuffled its rowing combinations ahead of the Asian Games. Satnam and Salman had initially been part of the men’s quadruple sculls crew but were moved to the double sculls following the changes.

Despite the switch, the pair adapted quickly and produced a podium finish in their new combination.

Satnam Singh’s Asian Games Medal Record

Born on July 5, 2000, Satnam Singh is an Indian rower associated with the Indian Navy. He has represented India in several international sculling events and has established himself as part of the country’s rowing setup.

Satnam won the men’s single sculls title at the 2025 Senior National Championships and later helped India win gold in the men’s quadruple sculls at the 2025 Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam.

He was part of the gold-medal winning crew alongside Kulwinder Singh, Navdeep Singh and Jakar Khan.

Satnam had also won bronze in the men’s quadruple sculls at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Salman Khan’s Journey To The Asian Games Podium

For Salman Khan, the bronze medal caps a remarkable journey in rowing.

Born on August 15, 1998, Salman comes from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and represents the Indian Army. He joined the Army’s 122 Engineering Regiment in 2018.

Before taking up rowing, Salman worked as an Uber cab driver to support his family after the death of his father.

His introduction to the sport came through the Army, where coaches encouraged him to pursue rowing. He won silver at his first inter-centre regatta before continuing his development.

In 2021, Salman cleared the ergometer benchmarks and was selected for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune.

He subsequently won gold at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat and claimed the men’s single sculls title at the 2023 Senior Nationals, defeating Olympian Dattu Bhokanal.

He now has an Asian Games medal to show for that journey, with bronze alongside Satnam in the men’s double sculls.

Balraj Panwar Finishes Fourth

Earlier, Balraj Panwar narrowly missed the podium in the men’s single sculls final.

Panwar was second at the 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m checkpoints and remained firmly in medal contention heading into the final stages.

However, he was unable to maintain his position over the final 500m and finished fourth in 6:54.80.

China’s Zhiwei Deng won gold in 6:38.98, followed by Uzbekistan’s Shakhboz Kholmurzaev with silver in 6:41.83. Japan’s Tatsuya Sakurama won bronze after clocking 6:46.78.

Panwar was 15.82 seconds behind Deng, missing out on a podium finish after spending much of the race in second place.