From Delhi Cab Driver to Asian Games Medallist: How Rower Salman Khan Found Glory After Joining the Army

Indian rowers Salman Khan and Satnam Singh won a bronze in the men's double sculls at the 2026 Asian Games. Before his sporting success in the Army, Khan worked as a Delhi cab driver to support his family after his father's death.

Indian rower Salman Khan clinched a bronze medal in the men's double sculls event alongside Satnam Singh at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, September 24. Salman and Satnam finished third with a time of 6:13.25 to secure a hard-fought bronze medal at the Nagara-gawa International Regatta Course.

This was India’s first medal in rowing and the overall 14th medal at the ongoing edition of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Despite controversy around late-minute changes in crew combinations by the federation, which forced athletes like Salman and Satnam to move from quadruple to double sculls following weather-related compressions, the duo rose above the turmoil to deliver a stellar performance.

China’s Yi Xudi and Nie Yide finished at the top of the podium with 6:09.77, while Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov of Uzbekistan took home the silver medal after clocking 6:10.49.

Cab Driver Becomes Asian Games Medallist

As India's rowing contingent clinched the first medal at the Asian Games 2026, Salman Khan’s transformation from a struggling cab driver in New Delhi to an elite international medalist is a testament to extraordinary grit.

Hailing from Pure Dhingai in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district, Salman is among six children of their parents, who grew up in a humble household as the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. His life turned upside down after his father, Mohammed Kasim Khan, who worked for construction-body in Haryana, passed away due to dengue. Salman was just 18 years old at the time of his father’s demise.

Being the eldest in his family, the responsibility to take care of his mother and siblings was thrust upon him, forcing him to put his ambitions of joining the Indian Army aside. Salman moved to the national capital and took up a job as an Uber driver to work day and night behind the wheel to make ends meet and pay for his family’s survival.

SALMAN & SATNAM WINS THE BRONZE 🥉

- Clocked 6:13.25 to finish 3rd in the Men’s Double Sculls Rowing Final at Asian Games!

WELL DONE BOYS!!!! 🇮🇳👏 pic.twitter.com/6vXivLNK4R

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 24, 2026

Salman Khan aspired to become an Indian Army soldier, but the sudden demise of his father forced him to put his uniform dreams on hold and step into the driver's seat. For months, the bustling, unpredictable streets of Delhi became his entire world as he navigated endless shifts to keep his family afloat.

How Did Joining the Indian Army Bring Him Glory?

In 2018, Salman Khan fulfilled his long-held desire to join the Indian Army, a dream for many young men from humble backgrounds. Enlisting in the Bombay Engineer Group (BEG) in Pune in September 2018 gave him the stability and discipline he needed, but it also opened a door he never expected.

Rowing in the military proved to be a turning point for Salman. Army coaches encouraged him to take up the sport, given his tall stature and physical endurance. Salman Khan came close to quitting the sport twice due to dropping out before his coaches intervened and persuaded him to stay the course.

Salman’s first major national breakthrough came in 2022 when he won the gold medal at the National Games in Gujarat, alongside securing the national indoor title the same year. In the following year, he won the gold medals at both the Senior National Rowing Championships and the Open Sprint Nationals.

In 2026, Salman Khan clinched his first major international medal at the Asian Games, where he and Satnam Singh became the first men's double sculls medal in the history of the quadrennial multi-sport continental event.

From being a struggling cab driver in Delhi to the Asian Games medallist, Salman Khan’s journey is a remarkable story of perseverance, sacrifice and determination. What began as a struggle to support his family eventually turned into an unexpected journey in rowing, culminating in a historic bronze medal alongside Satnam Singh.