A sleepless night turned into a moment of immense pride for the family of rower Satnam Singh after the athlete from Fatta Maloka village in Mansa district won a bronze medal in the men’s double sculls event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday.Satnam and his partner, Salman Khan, secured the bronze, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in the men’s double sculls event. For Satnam, it was his second Asian Games bronze, having won a medal in the quadruple sculls event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.The Indian pair clocked 6:13.25 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course to finish behind the People’s Republic of China’s Yi Xudi and Nie Yide, who won the gold medal in 6:09.77. Uzbekistan’s Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov and Pavel Sorin won the silver medal in 6:10.49.“We got a call around 7 am. He said, ‘Mummy ji, main jeet gya’ (Mother, I have won). We congratulated him and told him that he had done well. It was a very happy moment for us,” said his mother, Harjeet Kaur.His father, Amrik Singh, said the family had been waiting anxiously for the result. “He has been trying since 2012 and gradually made his way to this position. We got a call at around 7 am that he had finished third. We are extremely proud of him,” he said.The family said Satnam had to spend several months, and sometimes nearly a year, away from home because of the lack of rowing and training facilities in Mansa.“He has been away from home for the past seven months. We have not seen him since then and mostly speak to him through video calls,” said Harjeet Kaur.Amrik Singh said better sports infrastructure was needed in Mansa so that players did not have to remain away from their families for long periods.Satnam’s elder brother is serving in the Army, while Satnam himself joined the Navy and continues to compete in rowing.His brother’s wife, Sandeep Kaur, said, “We want good sports grounds and facilities in Mansa district so that youngsters can be encouraged to take up sports and stay away from drugs.”Meanwhile, in a recorded video message, Satnam said he was proud to be a double Asian Games medallist in rowing.“I came here to participate a few days ago. This is India’s first-ever medal in the double event. I congratulate my village, my district and my country,” he said.Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Kiren Rijiju, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and many other dignitaries congratulated Satnam and Salman on their success.