Asian Games 2023: Indian rowers add 2 more bronze to medals tally

Hangzhou: The Indian men’s coxless four and quadruple sculls rowing teams won bronze medals in their respective events at the Asian Games 2023 here on Monday.

The two podium finishes at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre on Monday means Indian rowers finished with five medals - two silvers and three bronze - in rowing at the Asian Games 2023.

On Sunday, the Indian men’s lightweight double sculls team comprising Olympians Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh and the men’s eight team won silver medals while the men's pair team clinched a bronze.

The men’s coxless four team of Ashish, Bheem Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Punit Kumar clocked 6:10.81 in Final A to win the bronze. The quartet, who were also part of the silver-winning men’s eight team, was out of a medal spot in the first half of the race but overtook Japan in the second to capture the final podium spot.

Uzbekistan were runaway winners with 6:04.96 while China finished with 6:10.04.

The Indian men’s four team had earlier topped heat 1 to gain direct entry into the medal race.

India’s second medal of the day came courtesy the men’s quadruple sculls team. Parminder Singh, Satnam Singh, Jakar Khan and Sukhmeet Singh finished the course in 6:08.61 to come in behind China (6:02.65) and Uzbekistan (6:04.64), Olympics.com reported.

India had won gold in the event at Jakarta 2018. Sukhmeet Singh was part of the crew back then as well.

In the men’s single sculls, India’s Balraj Panwar narrowly missed a medal. Despite making a strong start, Panwar lost ground in the final stretch and settled for a fourth-place finish with a timing of 7:08.79.

China’s Zhang Liang won the gold medal while Japan’s Ryuta Arakawa and Hong Kong China’s Chiu Hin Chun took the silver and bronze, respectively.

In the final rowing medal event at Hangzhou, the Indian women’s coxed eight team of G Geetanjali, Ritu Kaudi, Sonali Swain, H Tendenthoi Devi, Varsha KB, Aswathi PB, Mrunamayee Nilesh S, Thangjam Priya Devi and Rukmani managed a fifth-place finish with 7:05.71.

China, Japan and Vietnam took the podium places in the event.

India had won three medals at the 2018 Jakarta Games - one gold and two bronze. (UNI)