Indian rower Balraj Panwar clocked 7:12.41 to secure second place in the repechage round, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Men’s Single Sculls at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Sunday. He covered the first 1000m in 03:33.94 and was placed second at the time. He was pipped to the top spot by Monaco’s Quentin Antognelli. He will be in action in the quarters on July 30 from 1.40pm IST.
An Indian Army athlete, Panwar earned his spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning a bronze medal at the Asian and Oceanian Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea this year.
He narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. In the 2022 Asian Games, Panwar also missed out on a bronze medal despite reaching the finals.
Panwar is coached by Bajrang Lal Takhar, a Beijing 2008 Olympian.
India’s presence in Olympic rowing has seen notable performances, such as the men’s lightweight double sculls duo of Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh, who finished 11th at Tokyo 2020—India’s best result in Olympic rowing to date. Rowing has been part of the Olympics since Paris 1900, with India making its debut in the sport at Sydney 2000, represented by Kasam Khan and Inderpal Singh in the men’s coxless pairs event.
Panwar’s nickname on the Olympics website reads: “MS Dhoni of Indian rowing”. Like the former India captain, Panwar would hope to finish his event with a flourish.
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