At 18, Salman Khan misplaced his father, drove taxi for months earlier than changing into an Army man and now an Asian Games rowing medallist
For rower Salman Khan, profitable an Asian Games medal is the newest chapter in a journey that started with household tasks, monetary struggles and a job as a cab driver.The Indian rower gained the bronze medal within the males’s double sculls occasion alongside teammate Satnam Singh on the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday. The Indian pair stayed in second place till the 1,500m mark earlier than slipping to 3rd within the last 500m. They completed the race in 6:13.25 on the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course.China’s Yi Xudi and Yide Nie gained gold with a timing of 6:09.37, whereas Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov took silver in 6:10.49.For Salman, the medal has come after years of laborious work and a life that would have taken a really completely different path.
Salman misplaced his father at 18
Salman was born in Pure Dhingai in Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Kasim Khan, labored in truck-body development in Tauru, Haryana, the place Salman accomplished his education.He was the eldest of 4 brothers and two sisters. When his father died of dengue, Salman was simply 18 years outdated.With his youthful siblings nonetheless finding out, the accountability of supporting the household fell on him. His dream of becoming a member of the Army needed to take a backseat as incomes a livelihood turned his precedence.Salman began driving an Uber cab in Delhi. He labored day and evening to maintain his household going.
A good friend’s recommendation modified his life
Salman had not given up utterly on his Army dream. One day, whereas resting after a shift, an in depth good friend reminded him that his top and bodily construct might assist him within the Army. That recommendation pushed him to strive once more.He handed over the cab to a different driver and spent 4 months getting ready by laborious working and coaching. He cleared the recruitment rally, medical and written examinations.In September 2018, he joined the Bombay Engineer Group (BEG), Kirkee, Pune.
How Salman turned a rower
At the coaching centre, coaches observed Salman’s top and physique and launched him to rowing. He knew nothing in regards to the sport and initially had no real interest in taking it up. With his household’s monetary scenario, sport was not one thing he thought he might pursue.He refused a number of occasions. But the coaches continued to push him and finally put him in a ship. They noticed potential in him and commenced coaching him significantly.Salman’s first inter-centre regatta gave him the primary signal that he might make one thing out of rowing. He gained a silver medal, which gave him confidence.
The turning level
The subsequent main step got here in 2021 when Salman cleared the ergometer benchmarks and was chosen for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune. Training alongside a few of India’s greatest rowers modified his outlook.What had began as a sport he didn’t even need to take up turned one thing he needed to pursue professionally.Salman started to consider that rowing might assist him win medals for India.
From nationwide gold to global success
Salman’s progress continued over the following few years. At the thirty sixth National Games in Gujarat in 2022, he gained gold. At the 2023 Senior Nationals, he gained gold within the single sculls in opposition to Olympian Dattu Bhokanal. That efficiency helped him earn a spot within the India camp.In 2024, Salman gained his first global gold on the Asian Rowing Cup in South Korea with Nitin Deol. That victory additionally earned him a promotion to Naib Subedar within the Indian Army.He adopted it with a silver on the 2025 Australian Rowing Championships and one other silver on the 2025 Asian Rowing Championships.Those performances helped him safe his place in India’s Asian Games squad.
From driving a cab to carrying the India jersey
For Salman, representing India carries a particular that means due to the place his journey began. He got here from a village background and needed to take accountability for his household at a really younger age.His mom, Jabrun Nisha, remained a significant supply of power for him, whereas his spouse, Sahiba Khatoon, supported him all through his journey.His coaches and help employees additionally performed a significant position in preserving him on the rowing path, notably in periods when he misplaced curiosity within the sport.At the Army Rowing Node, officers and coaches helped him regain his focus and develop as an athlete.Salman’s journey from Amethi to the Indian Army, and from an unfamiliar boat to an Asian Games medal, has been constructed over years of perseverance, self-discipline and the help of his household, coaches and teammates.
