From handling father’s death to joining army for financial stability, Balraj Panwar, rowing’s MS Dhoni, ready for Paris Olympics

His predecessor Dattu Bhokanal was a mercurial character, but Panwar promises unfussed non-drama, as he continues to improve within 4 years of taking up rowing at Roorkee, making the Olympics cut before turning 25.

At the Asian Games trials, an error pushed him 20 metres behind the fleet, but he would make up in the last 150 metres with sensible pacing. At the Olympics qualification at Chungju, Korea this weekend, Panwar led the finals till the 1500 metres of the 2 km race, and had the 5th slowest 1 min 48.6 seconds split over the last 500m, but he would declare of his 7:01.27 3rd finish timing, “I had done enough in the first 1600. I had no fear of being overtaken or missing the Olympic qualification, so I didn’t need to push.” He’s economical with his words, and effort. No mad flapping at the start, only to fade away later.

The sport of rowing needs stoic perseverance and ceaseless repetitions of the same stroking action for years together, without searching for constant excitement and adrenaline. Panwar says his modest army salary brought stability to his once-impoverished family of an early widowed mother and 4 siblings, now a young wife and child. “Now my mind is stable, I don’t crave for anything. I focus on rowing,” he says.

Many congratulations to Balraj Panwar on winning the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Single Sculls Rowing at the Asia & Ocenia Rowing Olympic Qualification which has also secured a @paris2024 Olympic Quota for 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/VI0IOORRr4

— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) April 21, 2024

Panwar grew up a very quiet lad in Kaimla village of Gharaunda subdivision in Karnal, Haryana. He has faint memories of losing his father Randhir at age 10, but mother Kamala says her husband suddenly fell ill and the Karnal hospital couldn’t save him, and he was gone in 8 days. Balraj was told by his mother to study diligently as his father’s last wish, and he never missed a day of school.

“Times were hard with 5 children to take care of. I would do daily wage jobs, either in the factory, or on construction sites. Some days, I’d sell milk, or pick vegetables, shred wheat,” his mother Kamala recalls. “It was hard labour, but I told Balraj his father wanted him to never miss a day of school and that he would have to take up the responsibility of the family soon. Unlike other children, there was no khel-kood in his childhood. He was studious, and always sincere. But now we are proud of him taking up the boat-sport, and representing India,” she adds.

The Army job was his aim as he enlisted into an entry course like other Rors of his village, and after winding up at Roorkee. He would win his battalion regatta, the first time he rowed after being picked for his 6 foot height, shifting to Pune’s rowing node subsequently.

His ergometre scores maxed at 6:26, and during a 45-day camp by a foreign coach, he was relentless over 30 km training runs daily, without complaining. His seniors were impressed that when he said he needed 2 days leave, he would turn up on the third day without excuses for extension. Despite a young bride, and a child not yet 1, Panwar has remained committed to his training, staying far away from the family. A dire personal emergency necessitated him going home for 3 days at the end of 2022. He left with the same words, “2-3 din mein theek ho jaega.” And was back reporting on the fourth.

At the Nationals, he would go up against Bhokanal, who as a single sculler carries a formidable reputation in the army, also because of his physical might. Panwar would quietly tell his coach, “Main race leke jaunga,” (I would take the race) rowing with assurance, and no emotion nor overawed by his senior’s aura, solely winning on his mental strength and ice cool temperament. It’s when he got named, ‘Dhoni of rowing.’

Ahead of the 2023 Asiad, where India was not going to field a single sculler, four rowers were in contention for being the second reserve for a quadruple team. The coaches ended up making them undergo 3 trials, with little break between the second and third. Rowing Federation of India president Rajalaxmi Singh Deo was following the trials on WhatsApp chats, and wasn’t too pleased that the third trial had happened without adequate recovery, where Balraj finished half a second behind. She would, on a hunch, request for a gruelling 4th race-off the next day with a “Aur ek race karo” diktat.

“All this for a second reserve spot!” she laughs remembering. “That’s when we first realised this boy Balraj was relentless and fighting like crazy for a mere reserve spot. We were not even going to field an Indian in single sculls, but Balraj was fantastic in his commitment over 4 races. We decided at the last minute, he would go to the Asian Games. The government was skeptical, but we ordered a boat and he ended up missing bronze narrowly. But he’s promised me Asiad gold in 2026.”

There was visible excitement around his Olympic qualification, and Indian rowers would be sent to stormy, choppy waters in China’s Hangzhou Hills for 22 days acclimatization, ahead of Korea. “I didn’t tell anyone in the family till I qualified for the Olympics. They don’t need to know about my struggle. Things can get tough when capsizes lead to cold-cough,” he says. Typhoid tends to be common amongst rowers, but he sees no point in burdening his family with worries when he falls ill. “The Olympics is a big thing for them now. I’ll give my 110 percent in Paris, ” Panwar says.

While chief coach Ismail Baig brings in all the experience to scullers, the Army Rowing Node has seen some leaps in scientific support, with the active arrival of 2008 Olympian, Bajrang Lal Takhar. The giant from Rajasthan, an Asiad champion and another with an MSD temperament, could have been an outstanding sculler at world level, but for modest training methods of that time. During Covid though, Takhar would brainstorm with ARN and the federation, and identify gaps in support through theoretical studies carried out during the lockdown.

It led to the Pune facility onboarding a full-time Strength & Conditioning coach, a psychologist, a nutritionist and a physio from 2022. Balraj needs massive strength upgrades, though he’s canny in race-pacing and on finishing kicks – traditionally an Indian weakness. “Physically our rowers are getting stronger, and Balraj is very gutsy and not at all intimidated when overtaken. India had a good history in single sculls with Bajrang, Swarn Singh Virk and Dattu. But Balraj will get the next generation scientific support, and by 2028 we expect big things out of him,” Singh Deo says.

Two ladies who nurtured discipline and spotted the spark in him respectively. A former sculler obsessed with making Indian rowing click 20 years after his 2008 Games race ended in big fat man tears. One of the finest coaches in Ismail Baig and the might of the Army Rowing Node are ensuring ‘rowing’s MSD’ Balraj Panwar, gets his rowing stroke just right.