Asian Games 2026: Satnam and Salman win a historic bronze

At the end of the men’s double sculls event at the 2026 Asian Games, Salman Khan had his burly hand held up by a volunteer as he navigated the short, 10-foot ramp out of the water on trembling legs. They completed the race in 6:13.25s, just under three seconds behind second-placed Uzbekistan pair of Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov and Pavel Sorin.

China’s Yi Xudi, Nie Yide (6:09.77) won the gold. Even as he lay on his back, Satnam cried out: “Gold chala gaya (we lost the gold).” As uncharitable as they were to themselves, the two had still made history. Not only were they the first Indian duo to achieve a podium finish in this event in the Games history, they were also the only Indian rowers to win a medal in Nagoya.

They were meant to take part in the men’s quadruple sculls, considered the marquee event. Then, two days before the start of their competition, the rowing federation decided to split up India’s settled pairings. Satnam and Salman were moved to the double sculls, an event they had never competed in together.

“Sab nirash ho gaye the (we were depressed). The hardest part was we were removed from quad and placed into doubles. We didn’t eat or drink or sleep that night,” recalled Salman. They protested. They considered quitting.

Eventually, they decided to do what they needed to. “What matters most is desh ka naam aur nishan (the country’s name and flag). We have to keep it high. Whatever happens later happens later,” Salman said. With next to no preparation, they took to the course on Thursday morning armed with little more than willpower.

“Bas power se chali ye boat (the boat moved on power alone),” said Salman. Incredibly, for the first half-kilometre, they were even in second place. Then the Uzbeks pair came back strongly at the end, finishing just ahead of the Indians.

But with their final strokes, Salman and Satnam kept going, eventually crossing the line just ahead of Indonesia.