Asian Games: India's first canoe medal since 1994 won by Arjun, Sunil
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Hangzhou: Arjun Singh and Sunil Singh Salam, two talented canoers, teamed together to take home bronze in the men's double 1000-meter event on Tuesday, giving India its first medal at the Asian Games canoe since 1994.
The Indian team finished third in 3:53.329 seconds, earning the nation's only second medal in the competition's history.
In the 1994 Hiroshima edition of the Games, India had bagged a bronze in the same event through Siji Sadanandan and Johnny Rommel.
Uzbekistan's Shokhmurod Kholmuradov and Nurislom Tukhtasin Ugli won the gold clocking 3:43.796s while Kazakhstan pair of Timofey Yemelyanov and Sergey Yemelyanov claimed the silver with a timing of 3:49.991s.
While Sunil is 24 years old and from Moirang in Bishnupur district of Manipur, 16-year-old Arjun is from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh but now he has shifted to Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
Sunil, who is competing in only his second Asian Games after the 2018 edition, said the bronze here nullified the disappointment at Jakarta.
"In 2018, we could have won a medal in the same event but things went haywire after my partner got sick on the day of the competition. We competed but could not do our best. Now, it's second time lucky for me (here)," Sunil said after the event.
Arjun said he couldn't have asked for a better result in his maiden Asian Games.
"It's a dream come true for me, and also we are only the second medallist. Medal in my first Asian Games, I can't ask for more. My mother will be really happy," he said.
Both Sunil and Arjun currently train in Bhopal under chief coach Pijush Baroi.
