Dattu Baban Bhokanal, the first Indian rower at an Olympic Games, looks back at his Rio experience. The 25-year-old soldier in the Indian Army took up rowing only in the year 2012.
Before going into the sport, Bhokanal did not even know how to swim.
The village he grew up in central India had few facilities and was miles away from any substantial body of water.
Bhokanal was oblivious to water sports, particularly rowing. He learnt about them after he joined the Indian Army as an 18 year-old.
Bhokanal finished fourth in his quarter-final, missing out on a spot in the semis in the Men’s Singles Sculls on Tuesday.
He now has the next Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 – in his sights and hopes to be the first athlete from his country to win a medal in rowing at the Olympics.
Video editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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