Balraj Panwar, India’s lone qualifier for the Paris Games in the high-endurance men’s singles sculls rowing event, has his eyes pinned on reaching the semi-finals and hopes to achieve the best result for the country on Olympics debut.

Balraj, who hails from Haryana, is looking forward to getting acclimatised to the conditions in Paris by training there for 20 days, and therefore will be among the first batch of athletes to reach the France capital.

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“We are going there 20 days in advance and I’m sure it won’t feel ‘strange’. It will help us acclimatise to the weather and be ready,” Balraj said in a virtual media interaction organised jointly by SAI, IOA and the Rowing Federation of India.

Indian doubles sculls rower Salman Khan will be his training partner and will set the pace for him during training at a club in France before the actual competition. “You are alone in the waters in men’s singles sculls and there is a lot of mental as well as physical training needed. With Salman in training, I hope to get myself ready fully before the big event,” he said.

Balraj bagged the Olympic quota after winning a bronze medal in the men’s single sculls (M1x) event at the Asian and Oceanian Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta, in Chungju, South Korea last month.

For the 25-year-old, who took up the sport only three years back, Balraj has shown tremendous improvement and narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

“With each tournament, our experience increases. The Asian Games was an important stepping stone in my journey. The intense competition and exposure to international standards have been invaluable in his preparation for the Olympics,” he said.

Elaborating on his journey so far, Balraj said his foray into rowing started unexpectedly after joining the Indian Army in 2018, and gradually his newfound passion transformed into a career that eventually led him to his maiden Olympics.

“I joined the Indian Army in 2018 and was introduced to rowing there. There are a lot of games (sports) in the Army, and when I joined, a rowing competition was going on. I participated and immediately got interested,” he recalled.

In men’s singles sculls, no Indian rower has reached the semifinals and Panwar is chasing the dream of achieving the best-ever finish for the country at Paris.

“No Indian has made it to the semifinal in rowing. I hope to make it to the semifinals and achieve the best-ever feat for the country,” said Balraj, who is being coached by veteran rower Bajrang Lal Thakkar, who represented India in the same event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“Besides the training part, the race involves a lot of small nuances and Thakkar sir is helping me by telling me about how to start, pace the race and finish well.” As for the mental preparation, Panwar is attending a weekly class by a sports psychologist.

“Mental health is crucial because in single sculls we are alone and need to motivate ourselves,” he added.

In May 2024, Balraj was inducted into the TOPS Core group. For the financial year 2023-24, the expenditure on Balraj Panwar included Rs 1,59,100 from the TOPS fund, which comprised Rs 50,000 twice as out-of-pocket allowance and Rs 59,100 for equipment support. Additionally, Rs 35,95,524 was spent via the annual calendar for Training & Competitions (ACTC). This brings the total expenditure on Balraj Panwar for the year to Rs 37,54,624.