Salman Khan is a rower who has gone from Uber driver to Asian Games podium. Salman made it a target to win a bronze medal in men's double sculls at the Asian Games 2026 in a historic moment for Indian rowing. They completed 6:13.25 in the final to win the first Asian Games medal in double sculls.
Salman got his first Asian Games medal. The Indian pair had been in second place for most of the race and seemed to be on the way to silver. But it was Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov who overtook them towards the end. Satnam and Salman won a historic bronze despite losing the silver medal.
Salman’s achievement is the culmination of years in the gym, sacrifice and an abrupt change from rowing. His sporting career did not begin with aspirations to become a top rower. He was as much in a hurry to join the Indian Army as anyone else to go to the Olympics.
Who Is Salman Khan?
Salman Khan was born in Pure Dhingai in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district and is the eldest among six siblings. Salman’s life got troubled when his father died at the age of 18. With the responsibility of supporting his family on his shoulders, he moved to Delhi in search of employment.
Salman worked as an Uber driver to earn and support his family. But his ambition of joining the Indian Army still remained alive. A friend encouraged him to try Army recruitment, because his height and physique could work in his favour.
Salman spent about four months in preparation for the recruitment process and passed the medical test and written examination. On September 25, 2018, he joined the Bombay Engineer Group in Pune. It was after joining the Army that his sporting journey took an unexpected turn.
How Salman Khan Discovered Rowing
Salman was introduced to rowing by coaches Satywan, Satish Siraat and Prabhat Mishra after joining the Army. His physical attributes attracted their interest and they encouraged him to try the sport.
Salman was not so enthusiastic about rowing at first, but his coaches kept persuading him. His first inter-centre regatta changed his perspective. He won a silver medal at the competition and had the confidence to go on with rowing more. He won medals at battalion and inter-centre competitions.
Salman managed to clear ergometer benchmarks in 2021 and was selected for Army Rowing Node at CME Pune. Training with fellow Indian rowers in high-level competitions and getting to know them more as a rowing coach made him take rowing more seriously.
The journey was not always straightforward. Salman even considered quitting the sport on two occasions, but his coaches persuaded him to continue. Kudrat Ali and Training Officer Major Nagendra Hooda also had great coaching roles in him.
National Success Put Salman On The Bigger Stage
In the following years, Salman’s performances really started to improve. In 2022, he won gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat and also gold at the 5th Indoor National Championship.
The following year was another very important stage in his career. Salman got silver at the Senior National Championships and gold at the Open Sprint National Championships. He also represented India at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne.
His progress earned him a place in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. He received Rs 4,09,100 under TOPS and Rs 12,16,589 through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition programme during this period. He also won gold at the 37th National Games in Goa.
Salman continued his development in 2024 at the Asian Rowing Cup and won gold. His winning also helped him to become Naib Subedar in the Indian Army.
International Medals Before Asian Games Glory
Salman was able to build international experience in 2025. He won silver at the Australian Rowing Championships in Tasmania, before going on to win another silver at the Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam.
His domestic record also remained strong. He won gold at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand and followed it with another gold at the 42nd Senior National Rowing Championships in Bhopal.
All these performances helped prepare Salman for the Asian Games 2026. Partnering Satnam Singh in the men’s double sculls, he finally made a major Asian Games breakthrough.
The bronze medal in Aichi-Nagoya is therefore more than just another entry on Salman Khan’s medal list. It is yet another chapter in a journey that started with family obligations, culminated in a job as an Uber driver and led to him joining the Indian Army and rowing.
Salman’s story, which ranges from his struggle to feed his family to representing India on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages, is an example of how an unexpected opportunity can change an athlete’s career. His Asian Games bronze with Satnam Singh represents another historical milestone and Indian rowing is at the helm.
