Who is Balraj Panwar? Know all about India’s only rower competing at Paris Olympics 2024
The only Indian rower at the Paris Olympics 2024, Balraj Panwar has been training under Asian Games gold medalist rower and Beijing 2008 Olympian Bajrang Lal Takhar. He aims to secure India’s first medal in rowing at the Games.
Born in Kaimla village in Haryana in 2000, Balraj lost his father when he was 10. Nevertheless, his mother Kamala raised Balraj and his four siblings by doing jobs such as vegetable selling, working at construction sites and more.
Balraj Panwar is married and has a kid. He also joined the Indian Army as a sepoy and was posted at the Bengal Engineering Group. He has been preparing for the Olympics at the Army Training Center in Pune since 2021 under national coach Ismail Baig and Bajrang Lal.
Balraj Panwar secured the Paris Olympics quota in April 2024
Panwar secured a bronze medal at the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification rowing tournament in Chungju, South Korea in April 2024 to secure India’s first Olympic quota in rowing for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Though he was leading the race for the first 1600m in the 2 km race, he faced a tough time in the last 500m, settling for the bronze medal. He started the qualification heats, clocking 7:17.87. Later, he finished with a time of 7:16.29 in the semi-final. In the final, he clocked 7:01.27 seconds to clinch the bronze medal.
Balraj Panwar made the cut for the Asian Games in 2023 in China as a second reserve at the last minute. However, he missed out on the bronze medal by a whisker after qualifying for the final.
He competed at the National Games in 2022, and in the National Championships in 2023. In July 2023, he competed in the World Championships in Switzerland. He was selected in rowing, courtesy of his height (6-foot long) and winning the battalion regatta in his first attempt.
India’s most successful rower in singles at the Olympics is Dattu Bhokanal, who finished 13th at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Balraj would be aiming to better the ranking and earn a podium finish in Paris.