New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): Rower Satnam Singh believes India’s historic bronze medal in the men’s Double Sculls at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya has not only ended a long wait but also opened new waters for the sport in India.Since the Asian Games began in 1951, India had never won a medal in the Men’s Double Sculls event. Punjab-based Satnam partnered with Salman Khan to bag the Bronze for India, registering a time of 6:13.25 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course. This is his second Asian Games medal; Satnam had won the Bronze in the Quadruple Sculls event in Hangzhou.“The paths that had been blocked have now opened. We can now hope that we will win more medals in this event in the future and perform even better,” Satnam told SAI Media on Thursday.“The experience is also very important. When a player is new, there is naturally pressure in competition. As you continue playing, your experience increases, your confidence grows, and the fear starts to reduce. That is very important for an athlete,” he added.Satnam feels the changing support structure around Indian Rowing has played a major role in bringing the country’s rowers closer to the world’s leading nations. For him, one of the biggest changes has been the opportunity to train and compete in Europe, facilitated by the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).“This was the first time we had camps in Europe. We also got the opportunity to race against some of the world’s top-class countries before the Asian Games. That gave us a chance to understand our level against the best,” Satnam explained. “Earlier, we were much further behind. But now, when we race against European countries, we are finishing around three to four seconds behind them.“As the coaches continue to support us, new things and new technology are coming into the sport, and we are continuing to work. Because of that, Indian rowing is progressing significantly,” the 26-year-old Indian Navy man added.With the attention shifting to LA 2028 Olympics, Satnam Singh has his priorities set to go all the way, riding on this wave of steady development. “At the moment, we are very hopeful about the Los Angeles Olympics. The effort will be to qualify in as many events as possible. If we look at India in the past, we were not at this level. But now, as I said, we are racing against European countries and finishing only around three to four seconds behind them.“Earlier, we were much further behind. But as the coaches continue to support us, new things and new technology come into the sport, and we keep working, we are progressing a lot in rowing. We are hopeful that going forward, we can also win gold at the Asian Games. We will always keep trying for that. And for the Olympics, our hope is to participate and go all the way to the final,” Satnam Singh told SAI Media. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)