Chungju (South Korea): Balraj Pawar has made history by ensuring the first Rowing quota for India in the Paris Olympics. He finished at third place in the men’s single scull event of the 2024 World Asian and Oceanian Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta held in Chungju, South Korea on Sunday.
The 25-year-old, who missed out on a bronze medal in the Asian Games last year, showed exceptional skills this time to grab a quota in the Paris Olympics. He clocked a time of 7:01.27 minutes in the 2000 m race and sealed a quota for the Indian contingent.
In the men’s single scull category, a top-five finish guarantees a spot at the Olympics. His accomplishment booked a ticket to Paris for the Olympic event starting on July 26. Earlier in the tournament, India failed to book a berth in the men's lightweight double sculls category in spite of the Indian duo finishing third in the race.
The pair of Ujjwal Kumar and Arvind Singh occupied the third spot but a quota still remained out of their reach. Pawar overcame a slow start in the race and surged ahead of the other competitors in the latter part of it. Vladislav Yakovlev of Kazakhstan displayed a commendable effort to fetch the gold but Pawar’s performance was also a noteworthy moment in the race as it got India its first quota in Rowing.
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