Asian Games 2026: Former Uber driver Salman Khan & ex-handball player Satnam Singh win India's first men's double sculls medal

Indian rowers Salman Khan and Satnam Singh won a bronze medal in the men's double sculls at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Thursday, September 24. The pair finished the final in 6:13.25 to secure India's first-ever medal in the event, India Today reported on Thursday.

China's Yi Xudi and Yide Nie won the gold medal, while Uzbekistan's Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov finished with silver.

Salman and Satnam remained in medal contention for most of the race. They were second at the 500m, 1000m and 1500m marks before dropping to third in the final 500m. They held on to finish third and claim the bronze.

For Salman, the medal is his first at the Asian Games. His journey to the sport began after he joined the Indian Army in 2018. Before that, he worked as an Uber driver in Delhi to support his family.

Don't Miss: Auto driver earns ₹75,000/month but struggles with ₹1.4 lakh school fees, video goes viral

Who is Salman Khan?

Salman Khan was born in Pure Dhingai in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi district and is the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. His father, Mohd Kasim Khan, worked in truck-body construction in Tauru, Haryana, where Salman completed his schooling.

His father died of dengue when Salman was 18. With the responsibility of supporting his younger siblings, Salman had to put his plans of joining the Indian Army on hold.

He moved to Delhi and started driving an Uber cab to earn a living.

His plans to join the Army eventually returned. A friend told him that his height and physical build could make him suitable for the armed forces. Salman handed his cab over to another driver and spent four months preparing for recruitment.

He cleared the recruitment rally, medical and written examinations and joined the Bombay Engineer Group in Pune on September 25, 2018.

It was after joining the Army that Salman was introduced to rowing.

His first inter-centre regatta ended with a silver medal. He later won medals at battalion and inter-centre competitions before clearing the ergometer benchmarks in 2021 and being selected for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune.

Must Read: Camp Nou delays hit Barcelona fans: Club to return to Olympic Stadium during 2027–28 season

Salman's rowing career

Salman won gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022 and also won gold at the 5th Indoor National Championship that year.

In 2023, he won silver at the Senior National Championships and gold at the Open Sprint National Championships. He also represented India at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne.

The same year, Salman was inducted into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. He received Rs 4,09,100 in support under TOPS and Rs 12,16,589 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition programme.

He won gold at the 37th National Games in Goa later in 2023 and followed it with another gold at the Asian Rowing Cup in 2024. The result also earned him a promotion to the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army.

In 2025, Salman won silver at the Australian Rowing Championships in Tasmania and the Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam. He also won gold at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand and the 42nd Senior National Rowing Championships in Bhopal.

The bronze at Aichi-Nagoya is now his first Asian Games medal.

Who is Satnam Singh?

Satnam Singh was a national-level handball player before switching to rowing in 2018. Olympian Swarn Singh Virk noticed his physical potential and encouraged him to take up rowing.

Satnam, who comes from Punjab's Mansa district, represented India at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, where he finished eighth in the men's pair.

He later won the men's single sculls title at the 40th Senior National Rowing Championships, becoming the first Indian Navy rower to win the event.

Satnam won his first Asian Games medal at Hangzhou in 2023 as part of India's men's quadruple sculls crew that claimed bronze.

In 2025, he won gold in the men's quadruple sculls at the Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam. He also won silver in the men's double sculls at the indoor Asian Championships.