Delhi Uber Driver to Asian Games Medallist: Salman Khan’s Inspiring Rowing Journey

From Delhi Uber Driver to Asian Games Medallist: Salman Khan’s Remarkable Rowing Journey

There was a time when Salman Khan’s biggest priority was simply keeping his family afloat. Today, he is an Asian Games medallist. Salman, along with Satnam Singh, won bronze in the men’s double sculls at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Thursday, September 24. Their timing of 6:13.25 earned India its first-ever medal in the event.

China’s Yi Xudi and Yide Nie took gold, while Uzbekistan’s Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov finished with silver.

The Indian duo were in the medal hunt throughout the race. They held second place at the 500m, 1000m and 1500m checkpoints before dropping to third during the closing stages.

They held their nerve in the final 500m to secure bronze.

For Salman, the result completed an extraordinary journey from driving an Uber in Delhi to standing on an Asian Games podium.

Salman Khan: From Family Responsibility to the Indian Army

Born in Pure Dhingai in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district, Salman was the eldest of six siblings.

His father, Mohd Kasim Khan, worked in truck-body construction in Tauru, Haryana, where Salman also completed his schooling.

When Salman was 18, his father died of dengue. With the family’s financial responsibility suddenly falling on him, his plans of joining the Indian Army were put on hold.

Instead, Salman moved to Delhi and began driving an Uber cab. He worked long hours to support his younger brothers and sisters.

The Army dream, however, never disappeared.

A friend later suggested that Salman’s height and physique could make him a good candidate for military service. Salman handed his cab to another driver and spent four months preparing for recruitment.

He cleared the recruitment rally, medical and written examinations and joined the Bombay Engineer Group in Pune on September 25, 2018.

He had no idea then that the Army would also introduce him to rowing.

How an Army Recruit Became a Rower

After Salman joined the Army, coaches Satywan, Satish Siraat and Prabhat Mishra noticed his physical attributes and encouraged him to try rowing.

He was initially hesitant. Rowing was not a sport he had ever planned to pursue.

His coaches kept pushing him and eventually got him into a boat.

At his first inter-centre regatta, Salman won silver. The result convinced him that he could build something in the sport.

He went on to win medals at battalion and inter-centre competitions. In 2021, he cleared the required ergometer benchmarks and earned selection for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune.

Training alongside established Indian rowers gave him a new perspective on the sport.

He considered quitting rowing twice, but coaches including senior coach Kudrat Ali and Training Officer Major Nagendra Hooda persuaded him to stay on.

The breakthrough results followed.

Building a Career Through National and International Success

Salman won gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022 and also topped the 5th Indoor National Championship.

In 2023, he won silver at the Senior National Championships and gold at the Open Sprint National Championships. He also competed for India at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne.

He was inducted into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme in 2023 and received ₹4,09,100 in support under TOPS, along with ₹12,16,589 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition programme.

Later that year, he won gold at the 37th National Games in Goa.

In 2024, he won gold at the Asian Rowing Cup, a performance that also earned him promotion to the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army.

His medal collection grew further in 2025 with silver at the Australian Rowing Championships in Tasmania and the Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam.

He also won gold at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand and the 42nd Senior National Rowing Championships in Bhopal.

Then came his biggest result yet.

Satnam Singh: The Other Half of the Historic Pair

Satnam Singh also took an unconventional route into rowing.

A national-level handball player, Satnam switched to rowing in 2018 after Olympian Swarn Singh Virk spotted his potential and encouraged him to change sports.

Born in Punjab’s Mansa district, Satnam represented India at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, where he finished eighth in the men’s pair.

He later won the men’s single sculls title at the 40th Senior National Rowing Championships, becoming the first Indian Navy rower to win the event.

Satnam’s first Asian Games medal came at Hangzhou in 2023, when he was part of India’s bronze-winning men’s quadruple sculls team.

In 2025, he won gold in the men’s quadruple sculls at the Asian Rowing Championships in Vietnam and silver in the men’s double sculls at the indoor Asian Championships.

A Last-Minute Pairing That Delivered

The Satnam-Salman combination at Aichi-Nagoya was itself the result of a late change.

The two were initially part of India’s men’s quadruple sculls crew but were shifted to the double sculls shortly before the competition. Other rowers were also moved between events, with the reshuffle reportedly causing frustration within the Indian camp.

Satnam and Salman adapted quickly.

They stayed second for much of Thursday’s final before being overtaken in the closing stages.

Their 6:13.25 finish secured bronze and made history for Indian rowing.

For Satnam, it was his second Asian Games medal.

For Salman, it was his first.

And for India, it was a first-ever Asian Games medal in the men’s double sculls.