Olympian Panwar leads India's 10-medal show at Asian Rowing Championships

New Delhi, Oct 19 (PTI) Olympian Balraj Panwar spearheaded India's impressive show at the 2025 Asian Rowing Championships in Hai Phong, Vietnam, as the country bagged 10 medals including three gold and five silver, marking one of their strongest performances in recent years.

Paris Olympian Panwar produced a commanding show to win the gold in the men's single scull (M1X) event.

India's other gold medals came through the lightweight men's double scull (LM2X) pair of Lakshay and Ajay Tyagi, who combined superb rhythm and endurance to dominate their final, and in the men's quadruple scull (M4X), where the quartet of Kulwinder Singh, Navdeep Singh, Satnam Singh and Jakar Khan rowed with perfect coordination to clinch the top spot.

Another highlight of the campaign was Gurbani Kaur and Diljot Kaur ending a 15-year medal drought for Indian women at the Asian Championships by finishing second in the lightweight women's pair (LW2-) event.

Their silver-winning effort, marked by technical precision and sheer grit, was hailed as a breakthrough moment for women's rowing in India and an inspiration for the next generation.

India also pocketed silver medals in the men's eight (M8+), where Nitin Deol, Parvinder Singh, Lakhveer Singh, Ravi, Gurpratap Singh, Bheem Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Kulbir and Kiran Singh Maiom powered through a strong field to finish second.

In the men's double scull (M2X), Jaspinder Singh and Salman Khan produced a determined effort to secure silver, while the lightweight men's quadruple scull (LM4X) crew of Rohit, Ujjwal Kumar Singh, Lakshay and Ajay Tyagi added another silver to the tally.

The lightweight men's four (LM4-) team of Sannee Kumar, Iqbal Singh, Babu Lal Yadav and Yogesh Kumar also finished second after a closely fought final.

The bronze medals came in the lightweight men's pair (LM2-), where Nitin Deol and Parvinder Singh displayed great composure to claim third place, and in the women's eight (W8+), where the crew of Gurbani Kaur, Diljot Kaur, Suman Devi, Alenna Anto, Kiran, Poonam and Haobijam Tendenthoi Devi combined effectively to secure a podium finish, rounding off a remarkable campaign.

India had fielded a 37-member contingent (25 men and 12 women) across 15 events.

The heats were held on October 16 and 17, followed by the finals over the next two days. PTI TAP TAP AH AH