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Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal Jat secured India's inaugural medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, winning silver in the men's lightweight double sculls event.
The duo crossed the finish line with a time of 6:28.18 seconds, only 5 seconds separating them from the winners, China. Uzbekistan took the bronze. The Indian pair also managed to beat reigning champions Japan, who finished fifth.
While Arjun and Arvind hail from different parts of the country, their journey has been somewhat similar. Arjun was born in Nayabas, Rajasthan, while Arvind comes from Khabra, Uttar Pradesh. Both athletes were born to parents who were farmers, and they went on to join the services where they were introduced to rowing.
Indian rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh's journey
Arvind and Arjun have been spearheading Indian rowing for a few years now, but neither knew anything about the sport until they joined the Army, where Indian Olympian Bajranglal Takhar introduced them to the sport.
The tale of Arvind and Arjun's remarkable partnership began unexpectedly during the 2018 Asian Games. While initially serving as members of the reserve team, the two men became good friends and decided to set forth and form a partnership. Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal Jat now train at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
Both army men have won international events individually, with Arvind winning the Asian Championships in 2021 in his maiden attempt, while Arjun won silver at the nationals, competing in double sculls with another army man, Ravi.
Th Indian pair booked their Olympic berth in lightweight double sculls after finishing second at the Asian qualifying event in Tokyo, Japan in 2021.
They went on to achieve India's best-ever finish in Olympics rowing at Tokyo, the duo finished 11th and now, with a silver medal at the Asian games 2023, fans hope to see the duo win a lot more medals for the country in the near future.
