Day two of rowing at the Fuyang Water Sport Stadium, and four more medal events for India. On Sunday, the rowing contingent had bagged two silvers and one bronze medal from five events. On Monday, the temperature was much higher, and the rowers were faced with a headwind as well.
India’s first medal came in the Men’s Four Final A, where the team bagged a bronze medal with a time of 6:10:81, finishing just behind China, who were timed at 6:10:04.
The second medal, and the final one in rowing was also a bronze, won by the Men’s Quadruple Final A team. This was also a close affair, with the team finishing four seconds behind Uzbekistan, in 6:08:61.
The other two events where India took part on the day were the Men’s Singles Scull, where Balraj Panwar came fourth in 7:08:79 – missing out on a medal by eight seconds to Hong Kong – and the Women’s Eights, where the team finished fifth in a time of 7:05:71.
Rajlaxmi Singh Deo, The Rowing Federation President, in an exclusive interaction with RevSportz, said, “I’m extremely happy with the performance of the team, but a little disappointed to miss out on a gold medal.” The president didn’t leave out those who missed out on a podium finish as either. “Those who didn’t win are my real heroes,” she said. “They came and fought, and fought so well. They came close. I’m proud of the entire team.”
Bajrang Lal Takhar, the coach, also shared his thoughts on the team’s performance. “With a little bit more support from the government and improved facilities, I can assure you that you’ll see a series of gold medallists from Rajasthan in rowing,” said Takhar. “I am thankful to the Indian army for all the facilities and the support they’ve been providing us.
“We’re feeling really good to win two medals in two days,” said the Men’s Four team, who were also a part of the Men’s Eight Team that won silver on Sunday. “Men’s Four and Eight. We expected a better medal today, but we gave our best. Today’s wind was against us that made it a bit difficult, but we’ll take the lesson and move forward.”
A highlight for the event was the crowd, and their support. The stands were full on both days with constant cheering for the rowers in water.