The story behind India’s rowing success in the Asian Games

Chandigarh: The story behind India’s rowing success in the Asian Games lies in the northern agrarian states, where individuals with sturdy physiques and above six feet height find jobs in the Indian Army.

On Sunday, Indian rowers contributed two silver and one bronze to the country’s medal tally on the second day of the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. All the 13 medallists in the three rowing events – where India made a podium finish – are from the Indian Army, with each one from a farming background, and none of them have experienced the rowing sport before donning the olive green.

“I come from a rural background with limited landholding, so joining the Indian Army was not only a necessity for me but also an opportunity to supplement my family’s income from agriculture and gain exposure to the outside world. But I was lucky that because of my tall height and body frame, I got picked for the rowing and was attached with the Army Rowing Node in Pune,” said Arvind Singh, who hails from Khabra Village of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh.    

Arvind along with Arjun Jat Lal, who hails from Rajasthan, won silver in the lightweight double scull event and opened India’s medal account in the 19th edition of the Asian Games. Chinese pair bagged gold, while Uzbekistan’s team won bronze.  

Apart from silver in the lightweight double scull, India won silver in coxed eight – Neeraj, Naresh Kalwaniya, Neetish Kumar, Charanjeet Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Bheem Singh, Puneet Kumar, Ashish and DU Pande – and a pair of Babulal Yadav and Lekh Ram won bronze in coxless pair event.

“Before joining the Indian Army, I had never heard of rowing, let alone had any exposure to the sport. It was only after getting recruitment in the Bengal Engineers I was able to pursue rowing and got an opportunity to make the country proud at the Asian Games,” said an elated Arvind, who along with his partner Arjun also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “This story is not just about me; all 13 Indian rowers who won medals on Sunday are from the Indian Army, and each of us began pursuing the sport after joining the defence services. So, without the Indian Army support, it wouldn’t be possible for us to learn and excel in rowing.”

With three medals in rowing on Sunday, Indian rowers have already equalled the medal count of the last two editions of the continental games. On Monday, Indian rowers are likely to add more medals to the country’s medal tally.

“Rowing is a demanding sport with equipment, and it requires access to a large water body for a rowing course for training. So, without the support of the Indian army or defence services, it’s not easy to excel in rowing,” says double Olympian Manjeet Singh. “Indian Army provides world-class facilities to its rowers which is why we contribute the largest number of rowers to the Indian’s men squad,” added Manjeet, who is currently coaching at Hyderabad Rowing Centre. He is employed with the Artillery regiment of the Indian Army.  

In the 18-member Indian men’s rowing team, 16 are from the Indian Army and two are from the Indian Navy. Besides DU Pande, who is from the rural belt of Maharashtra, all other 17 rowers hail from the agrarian belt of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.    

“The Indian army is getting rowers from across the country, but the majority of the contribution comes from the Northern agricultural belt of the country. A tall height is an advantage in rowing and we easily get six feet plus height blend with broad and lean body frame in the agrarian sector of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana,” said an Indian Army rowing coach.

“Maximum of the Indian Army rowers has no prior exposure of the sport and they pursue it only after joining the defence forces and they are able to excel purely because of their height and endurance.”