Indian rowers delivered a historic performance at the 25th Asian Rowing Championships 2025 in Hải Phòng, Vietnam, finishing with a total of 10 medals — 3 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze.
The championships were held from 16 to 19 October, with heats and semifinals on 16–17 October and all finals contested on 18–19 October.
India started strong on 18 October, the first day of finals, winning two gold and two silver medals.
India ends two-decade wait for a medal in Women’s rowing
Gurbani Kaur and Diljot Kaur made history for India in the women’s lightweight coxless (LW2-) event, winning India’s first women’s medal at the Asian Championships in 20 years.
The duo clocked a time of 7:51.374 in the final to win a silver medal ahead of the North Korean team (07:57.420). The host Vietnam clinched the title with 07:46.092.
Earlier, the men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) team of Kulwinder Singh, Navdeep Singh, Satnam Singh, and Jakar Khan won the gold with a time of 6:04.162, finishing ahead of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The lightweight men’s double sculls (LM2x) pair, Ajay Tyagi and Lakshay, also struck gold, clocking 6:40.75 to defeat Uzbekistan and Iran.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s coxed eight (M8+) team — Nitin Deol, Parvinder Singh, Lakhveer Singh, Ravi, Gurpratap Singh, Bheem Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Kulbir, and Kiran Singh Maimom — also earned silver, finishing in 5:50.874, narrowly behind Uzbekistan.
Olympian Balraj Panwar wins Singles Sculls Gold
On 19 October, the second day of finals, India added six more medals.
Olympian Balraj Panwar won gold in the men’s single sculls (M1x) with 7:37.824, defeating competitors from Iraq and Indonesia.
India earned three more silver medals on this day: in the men’s double sculls (M2x), Jaspinder Singh and Salman Khan clocked 6:50.474; in the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls (LM4x), Ujjwal Kumar Singh, Rohit, Lakshay, and Ajay Kumar finished in 6:11.251; and in the lightweight men’s coxless four (LM4-), Sannee Kumar, Iqbal Singh, Babulal Yadav, and Yogesh Kumar secured silver with 6:23.077.
Two bronze medals rounded off the campaign. In the lightweight men’s coxless pair (LM2-), Nitin Deol and Parvinder Singh finished third with 7:01.208, while the women’s coxed eight (W8+) crew — Gurbani Kaur, Diljot Kaur, Suman Devi, Aleena Anto, Poonam, Kiran, Haobijam Tendenthoi Devi, Aswathi P. B., and Kiran Singh Maimom — took bronze with 6:49.191.
India’s performance highlighted balanced strengths, which led to these historic milestones, especially for women rowers who ended a two-decade medal drought.
Indian medalists at Asian Rowing Championships 2025
Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
