From Driving a Cab to Making History: Salman Khan’s Journey to Asian Games Bronze
Salman won a silver medal at his first inter-centre regatta and that gave him confidence to continue. Then, in 2021, he cleared the required ergometer benchmarks and was selected for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune. However, he twice came close to quitting rowing but somehow, with the encouragement of his coaches he kept grinding.
XtraTime Webdesk: From driving a cab in Delhi, to earn bread for his family and keep them afloat after loosing father at the age of 18, to standing in the podium of the Asian Games 2026, the journey of Salman Khan in nothing short of a fairytale. The 2026b Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games brought the Indian rower his first Asian Games medal, as he and Satnam Singh won bronze in the men’s double scull with the time of 6:13.25.
This achievement is more remarkable because rowing was never part of Salman’s original plan and after joining the Indian Army in 2018 his coaches inspired him to try. Eventually that encouragement, self-belief has transformed his life and took him form financial hardship to one of the biggest podiums of his career.
Salman was born in Uttar Pradesh and he was the eldest among his brothers and sisters. His father Mohid Kasim Khan worked in truck-body construction in Haryana to support his family. Salman completed his schooling in Haryana and everything was going well but one day Salman’s story took an excruciating turn when father dies due to dengue and Salman was only 18 that time.
It was his time to go to college, fulfil his dreams, but being the eldest son, at the age of 18 he had to take over the responsibility for supporting his younger brothers and sisters. His dream of joining the Army was put on hold as earning money for the family became his utmost priority. To support his family, he moved towards Delhi and started driving an uber cab, worked for long o=hours but his wish and passion to be an Army remained alive.
Later, one of his friends reminded him that his height and physical build could make him suitable to join the armed forces. Then, Salman decided to give his dream another shot. Four months of hard work changed his fate and he cleared the recruitment rally, medical examination, and written examination.
However, rowing was never a part of his dream or his journey. After he joined Army, coaches noticed his physical attributes and encouraged him to try rowing. Salman initially refused this opportunity several times but eventually coaches persuaded him to get into a boat.
Salman won a silver medal at his first inter-centre regatta and that gave him confidence to continue. Then, in 2021, he cleared the required ergometer benchmarks and was selected for the Army Rowing Node at CME Pune. However, he twice came close to quitting rowing but somehow, with the encouragement of his coaches he kept grinding.
Salman won gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022. Salman represented India at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne in 2023. He was inducted into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in 2023. In 2024, he won gold at the Asian Rowing Cup, a result that also earned him promotion to Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. He later won silver at the 2025 Australian Rowing Championships and 2025 Asian Rowing Championships.
Jump cut to today, from refusing to winning bronze at the Asian Games 2026, the story of Salman Khan reminds us not the cards of fate can change anytime, and hard work can make us reach the highest levels of success.
