Asian Games 2026: Indian Army officer couldn't swim, began rowing despite being afraid of water; now he has won a bronze medal in Japan

Salman Khan drove a taxi on the Delhi-Gurgaon road for a year, trying to make sense of a life that had turned upside down after his father died. He never imagined that a few years later, he would be sitting in a rowing boat on the Nagara river in Japan, holding an Asian Games medal.

The 28-year-old Naib Subedar, who serves with the Army's 122 Engineer Regiment, won bronze in the men's double sculls rowing event at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Thursday, alongside partner Satnam Singh. The duo clocked 6:13.25, finishing just 3.48 seconds behind gold medallists from China and 2.76 seconds behind the silver medal pair from Uzbekistan and Russia, as per TOI.

How did a cab driver end up rowing for India?


Salman's story did not begin with rowing. It began with loss. His father Kasim Khan, a farmer, passed away when Salman was around seventeen or eighteen, leaving behind a wife and six children, the youngest just a year old. The family, then living in Haryana, had to move back to their native place, and the responsibility of running the household fell on Salman.

To support his mother and five younger siblings, Salman moved to Delhi and became a cab driver, navigating a battered Wagon-R on one of the country's busiest and most chaotic stretches of road. "I had to move to Delhi and drive an Uber," he told TOI. A friend eventually suggested he try for the Army, given his physique.

Why did he almost give up on the Army?

Salman's path into the forces was not smooth either. His mother, Jaburunnisha, told ANI that he failed his first attempt and was ready to give up, planning to stick with driving instead. "He failed his first attempt, felt discouraged, and said he would not go again and would stick to driving Ola," she recalled. He tried again, cleared the selection, and joined the Army, selling off his taxi soon after.

Once in uniform, coaches noticed his build and pushed him toward sports, specifically rowing, a sport he had no interest in and no experience with.

What made rowing so difficult for him?

Salman could not swim, and the water frightened him. "I didn't even know how to swim. I didn't want to do rowing. Early on in my training, the boat did overturn once, and I was terrified," he said. It took steady work from his coaches to get him comfortable in the boat. "My coaches worked extremely hard, and gradually I got used to it. It is because of their efforts that I have reached this stage," he added.

How did a last-minute change almost cost India a medal?

The road to Nagoya had one more twist. Salman had trained with partners Jakar Khan and Balraj for six to seven months, but just five days before the event, he was paired with Satnam Singh instead. "Just five days before the event, I was given a new partner. We sat in the double sculls boat just five days ago," he said. The sudden change disrupted their preparation, and Salman believes it may have cost India a higher finish. "If the pairing had not been changed and this boat combination had been formed earlier, India might have won the gold medal," he said.

How did the family react to the win?

Back home in Amethi, the family had spent the night in prayer. Jaburunnisha told ANI that everyone woke up around 4 am to keep praying, and the news of the bronze arrived an hour later. "We are extremely happy, and so are our neighbors, the entire village, and everyone at home. The joy is beyond words," she said. After the race, Salman called his mother and wife first.

His mother says the medals he has won over the years are all kept safely at home, a quiet record of a journey that started on the Delhi-Gurgaon road and ended on the Asian Games podium.