“It hurts when the team misses the gold" - National Rowing Coach Ismail Baig laments missed opportunity to win Gold at Asian Games 2023

Indian rowing team's medal tally of five, including two silver and three bronze at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games in China, was their best ever since 2010. The overall performance at the continental games will add to the confidence of the players ahead of next year's Olympic Games qualification, national rowing coach Ismail Baig said.

“Our preparation for the Paris Olympic Games qualification will commence from December,” Baig told Sportskeeda over the phone from China. “The first Olympic qualification will start next year in April.”

The Indian men’s rowing team won silver in the lightweight double sculls and coxed eight events. The men’s coxless four, coxless pair and quadruple sculls events further added three bronze medals to the team’s overall tally.

However, in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualification event, the focus will primarily be on the double and single scull events.

“We have the best chance in the above two events,” the national rowing coach added.

According to Baig, preparation for the Asian Games went along expected lines. With the government's support, the national camps were conducted in Pune (men's) and Hyderabad (both men's and women’s), he said.

“The players got two international exposure tours, including the World Cup in Europe. It was quite beneficial,” Baig added.

However, the national coach was upset that gold remained elusive. At the last edition of the continental games in Jakarta, the Indian rowing team won one gold and two bronze medals.

“I’m satisfied with the performance in China but it hurts when the team misses the gold,” Baig said.

All the medals arrived in the men’s section, while the women's team failed to register their names on the medal chart.

Baig stated that there should be a big pool of female rowers at the domestic level to improve the overall standard.

“We need to encourage more participation in the women’s group at the national level,” Baig said. “More participation will improve quality at the domestic competition, which will also improve the chance of winning medals at the international events.”

Water sports, including rowing, is confined to a few states in the country. Moreover, the equipment, including boats, are expensive.

“Some states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala have good water sports facilities. But the majority of the players improve their performance when they join the army,” the coach said.