Indian rowers Arjun, Arvind reach double sculls semifinals

TOKYO, July 25: India’s Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh on Sunday qualified for the men’s lightweight double sculls semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics after finishing third in the repechage round here.
Arjun and Arvind produced the best-ever Olympic performance by Indian rowers. The Indian duo clocked 6:51.36 to finish third at the Sea Forest Waterway.
“We followed exactly whatever had been told to us by our coach. The coach told us that we should try to get the best position for India,” the duo said.
“This is the best ever performance by Indian rowers in the Olympics. No Indian team has ever reached the semifinals,” Rowing Federation of India president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo said.
Arjun assumes the role of the bower while Arvind is the team’s stroker. The two had finished fifth in their heats on Saturday.
The event includes two rowers in a scull boat using two oars each. The long, narrow and broadly semi-circular in cross-section boats helps to reduce the drag.
The maximum weight set for each male competitor is 72.5kg and the average weight cannot exceed 70 kg. The semifinals will be on July 27. (PTI)