- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 02 Aug 2024 04:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Paris Olympics 2024: Balraj Panwar, who was the only one to have represented India in the men's rowing sculls event, at the ongoing mega-event, campaign ended after finishing in fifth place in the final D race.
His time was recorded at 7:02.37. Balraj gave his everything and picked up this sport just three years back.
He lost his father when he was young and helped to bring stability to the family by joining the Indian Army in 2018. He was introduced to the sport of rowing while he was in the Army.
His coach saw his potential and he thus gave him a six-foot frame.
"I started rowing in 2021 after joining the Army", he was quoted as saying to the Bridge.
"We had rowing competitions in the Army and after performing well I decided to go with it", he added.
His resilience was quite evident.
He got the country's first quota for the Paris Olympics after winning the bronze medal at the Asian and Oceana Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea.
This was one of the biggest milestones in his rising career.
Journey to the Olympics
He trained rigorously for the Olympics. He attended lots of camps from Hyderabad, Korea to China. He then shifted his base to Mumbai, where he used to train at Pawna Dam for a month and then went to France.
Talking about his preparation, he said, "We had good exposure from all around the world before coming to the Olympic Village".
Although his journey was quite incredible, he did face a lot of challenges at the Olympics. The event was being held at the Vaires-sur-Maarne Nautical Stadium, where he lay at the sixth position in the men's singles scull semifinal C/D race, at the time of 7:04.97.
He ended his Olympic campaign ranked at the 23rd position in the summit clash.
He also talked about his experience in Paris and said, "In India, normally one competition has three races but here we have to play a minimum of 5 races for the rankings, so it is a nice experience, there is a lot to learn. I have full confidence in myself and I am gaining more confidence after every race".
Experiences and plans ahead
Panwar was highly impressed by the Olympic Village.
"The experience is very surreal. When you go to eat food, you see a lot of top athletes having food beside you. The atmosphere is quite different, very nice", he said.
He also got an opportunity to talk to international competitors. "I have spoken to a few of them, including athletes from the Netherlands and Croatia and I keep meeting my fellow Asian players", he said.
He aims to improve his performance and bounce back brilliantly in the next Olympics. "I want to improve myself and come back stronger in the next Olympics and I believe that I will do well", he said.
He also talked about the support he got from India and said, "When the races were going on I saw how people back home responded to my performance. I got a lot of love and support from India and I would like to thank all my fellow Indians."
