Poonam’s rowing scholarship leads to Asian Games selection

Poonam will represent India in the Women’s Coxless Four at the Asian Games, the article published on 2026-09-18 reports. She began rowing initially as a route to continue her graduation through sport rather than with an international career in mind.

Poonam took up rowing after previously competing in athletics and facing limited facilities in her district, finding the opportunity in Chandigarh. "I started rowing because I got the opportunity to get admission for my graduation through sport. At that time, I never thought that rowing would become my career. I just wanted to make use of the opportunity and see where it could take me," she said.

Her targets evolved from university-level goals to national and then multi-sport ambitions as results followed. "Initially, my dream was to win a gold medal at the inter-college and university level. Then I wanted to win a medal at the Senior Nationals. Slowly, my goals started getting bigger. We have won gold medals at the Nationals, Senior Nationals and National Games, and now I am at the Asian Games," she said.

A year-long spell at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) provided access to a broader support structure that Poonam credited with boosting her preparation. "There have been a lot of changes after coming to Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS). I have been part of their rowing programme for the past one year. We get a lot of support here, and the staff takes care of our nutrition, physiology and psychology. Because of this environment, we feel more confident and feel that we can do much more," she said.

Poonam emphasised the importance of shared training time in building the crew’s cohesion and race rhythm. "We have spent a lot of time training together, and that has helped us understand each other better. In rowing, everyone has to move together and maintain the same rhythm. The more time we spend together, the more confident we become as a crew."

An overseas training and competition stint in Europe gave her exposure to stronger teams and the pressures of international racing, altering her assessment of the gap to top crews. "Our Europe trip was very good because we learnt how to handle pressure and control our nervousness during a race. Earlier, when we saw the European teams, we used to think about when we would be able to beat them. But after competing with them, we realised that we are not very far behind. We can compete with them," she added.

Poonam said she still finds enjoyment in the mechanics and rhythm of rowing, a quality that sustains long training sessions. "Every stroke feels like music. The catch is different, the finish is different and the movement of the boat is different. We don't get bored because we are so involved in it. Sometimes we keep rowing for one or two hours and don't even realise how much time has passed," she said.

Poonam will join fellow IIS-supported rowers Tendenthoi Devi, Aleena Anto and Gurbani Kaur in the Women’s Coxless Four at the Asian Games. Now, the Asian Games offer another chance to see just how far that first opportunity can take her.