Balraj Panwar may not have earned a direct qualification into the quarterfinals of the men's single Sculls event on July 27, Saturday, but the 25-year-old will have a second opportunity on Sunday, when he takes part in the repechage round on the river Seine in Paris, hoping to advance to the semis and subsequently to the finals of the 2024 Olympics.

Balraj, who hails from Kaimla in Haryana’s Karnal district, lost his father at a very young age. After completing school, he sought a post in the Indian Army to support his family. There was never a sporting angle to his life until 2020, when he was convinced to try out rowing owing to his six-foot frame. It has since been a rapid rise for Balraj.

After a lack of success in the initial years, where he competed in domestic tournaments, Balraj earned his first medal at the 2023 national championships, which saw him bag a position in the camp for the Asian Games. Although he was merely a reserve for a quadruple team, he eventually turned out to be the only Indian sculler at the Asiad. He narrowly missed out on the bronze medal at the Asian Games last year, but managed to secure an Olympic quota for the Paris Games earlier this year when he finished third at the Asian and Oceanian Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta in South Korea.

Interestingly, Balraj's profile on the Paris Olympics website mentions the legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni. Scrolling down to the section mentioned 'nickname', it reads: "MS Dhoni of Indian rowing." And Balraj only sheepishly smiled as he told ESPN: "He is such a big athlete; how can I be compared with him? My name can be taken alongside his only when I achieve something big. Maybe if I win a medal then it would be fine [laughs]."

On Saturday, Balraj clocked 7:07.11s to finish fourth in the heats, falling behind New Zealand's Thomas Mackintosh (6:55.92), Stefanos Ntouskos (7:01.79) and Abdelkhalek Elbanna (7:05.06). Later on Sunday, in the repechage round, clocked 7:12.41s to finish second in the repechage round to earn a historic quarterfinal qualification. He will next be in action on July 30.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli held accountable for Jaiswal's India XI axe on live TV by Nehra: 'If they were still playing…'