Tokyo: The Indian rowing duo of Arvind Singh and Arjun La Jat finished fifth in the men’s lightweight double sculls to enter the repechage round at the Tokyo Olympics. The repechage round will be India’s second and ultimate chance to qualify for the finals of this event.
In Heat 2, the Indian duo finished with a time of 6:40.33s in a six-team field, failing to qualify for the semifinals directly. Ireland (6:23.74s) and Czech Republic (6:28.10s) advanced to the semifinals, while Poland (6:31.85s), Ukraine (6:36.05s), and Uruguay (6:42.85s) joined India in the repechage round.
While Arvind was the stroker, Arjun played the bower. The Indian duo trailed until the 1500m mark, but sped up in the final 500m to finish fifth. The event requires 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.
