Indian Navy Makes Its Mark with a Remarkable Victory at the First All India Indoor Rowing Championship
The Indian Navy dominated the inaugural All India Indoor Rowing Championship, winning five gold and one bronze medal.
The championship was held at the JLN Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha, from April 8 to 11.
Navy rowers Parminder Singh and Shagandeep defeated Arvind and Harpreet of the Army team to win the gold medal in the men’s pair category. Manjinder Singh also performed brilliantly, defeating Sahil of the Meghalaya team to win the lightweight individual gold. Notably, both Parminder and Manjinder hold national records in their respective events from the previous National Championships, which still stand.
Rising star Sinder won gold in the lightweight men’s individual category (under 23), and both Navy relay teams demonstrated their mettle by winning gold medals. The team comprised of Robin, Vedansh, Sindar, and Manjinder, who won the lightweight category with a superb timing of 5:57.1, while Gaurav, Maheshwar, Parminder, and Shagandeep dominated the open weight category with a timing of 5:40.8.
Indian Navy Team Head Coach Abhinav Bhatnagar expressed his delight at the team’s performance and stated that the gold medalists will represent India at the Asian Indoor Rowing Championships in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Bhatnagar is a young coach with considerable experience, having served as the Indian team’s national coach for the Asian Indoor Rowing Championships held in Penang, Malaysia in August 2024. Under his guidance, the Indian team delivered its best-ever performance at the Indoor Rowing Championships, winning a total of 19 medals, including 8 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze medals across various age categories.
Having completed a one-year Diploma in Sports Coaching in 2022—where he was the topper of his batch—Bhatnagar uses innovative coaching methods, sports science, and a diverse training program. These methods have helped his athletes excel at the national and international levels in all three formats of rowing: traditional, beach sprint, and indoor rowing.