Paris 2024 Olympics rowing: Balraj Panwar qualifies for quarter-finals in men’s singles sculls

India’s Balraj Panwar stormed into the men’s single sculls quarter-final round at the Paris 2024 Olympics rowing competition on Sunday.

Competing at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, the Indian rower clocked 7:12.41 to finish second in the repechage 2 race behind Monaco’s Quentin Antognelli (7:10.00).

The fastest two in each of the three repechage races qualified for the quarter-finals. Five rowers competed in each race.

Panwar started the race strongly and trailed Antognelli by 0.01s at the 1000m mark. However, the Monegasque rower increased the gap by more than a second at the 1500m mark and finished first at the end of the final quarter.

The men’s singles sculls quarter-finals will take place on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Balraj clocked 7:07.11 to finish fourth among six rowers in heat 1, advancing to the repechage rounds.

The top three rowers from heat 1 directly qualified for the quarter-finals. Rowers who finished from fourth to sixth made it to repechage.

The 25-year-old Panwar is India’s only challenge in rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Indian Army man earned his spot in the Paris 2024 contingent by winning a bronze medal at the Asian and Oceanian Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, the Republic of Korea in April. He came fourth at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.

At Tokyo 2020, the men’s lightweight double sculls duo of Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh finished 11th, logging India’s best finish in any Olympic rowing event to date.

Rowing events have been a part of the Olympics since Paris 1900 while India first competed in the sport at Sydney 2000 with Kasam Khan and Inderpal Singh pairing up for the men's coxless pairs event.