Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh, representing India, secured a silver medal in the highly competitive Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls rowing event at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Sunday (September 24). The duo showcased their exceptional rowing skills, earning India’s first medal in the sport at these games. The pair, both Tokyo Olympics veterans, delivered a remarkable performance, clocking a commendable time of 6 minutes and 28.18 seconds. The achievement was all the more commendable since it happens to be India’s first-ever medal in the men’s lightweight double sculls event.

However, they faced stiff competition from the formidable Chinese team, who clinched the gold with an impressive timing of 6 minutes and 23.16 seconds. The battle for bronze was equally intense, with Uzbekistan’s rowers securing third place with a time of 6 minutes and 33.42 seconds.

For their historic achievement, they even got congratulated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) who took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a post.

Have a look at SAI’s post here:

“Rowing their way to glory! 🚣‍♂️🥈

🇮🇳 secure SILVER in the Rowing lightweight men’s double sculls event

Our #TOPSchemeAthletes (Core) @OLYArjun and Arvind Singh representing 🇮🇳 finished with a timing of 06:28:18 🚣🏻#Cheer4India#Hallabol#JeetegaBharat#BharatAtAG22 pic.twitter.com/cOPhZ5fVnc

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 24, 2023

Rowing made its inaugural appearance at the Asian Games in 1982 during the New Delhi edition. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that India achieved its most significant success in this sport. Bajrang Lal Thakar made history by clinching India’s first gold medal in the continental sporting event. Thakar’s remarkable feat was accomplished in the Men’s Single Sculls category.

India’s rowing success continued to flourish in the subsequent years. In 2018, during the Jakarta–Palembang edition of the Asian Games, the Men’s Quadruple Sculls team, consisting of Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhoknal, Om Prakash, and Sukhmeet Singh, added a second gold medal to India’s tally in this sport.

Heading into the Hangzhou Games, which was originally slated to happen in 2022, India had bagged a total of 23 medals in rowing and with more medals on offer, it would look to add more medals to its tally this year.