Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 25 (ANI): Following Salman Khan's bronze medal win in rowing at the Asian Games, the athlete's mother reflected on the hardships faced by her son on his way to the medal, from being a cab driver to provide for his family to joining the army to finally climbing to the Asian Games podium.
The pairing of Satnam Singh and Salman Khan secured a bronze medal in the men's double sculls final on Thursday. The duo clocked a time of 6:13.25, just 3.48 seconds short of gold medalist Chinese pair of Yi Xudi / Nie Yide and 2.76 seconds behind the silver medalists Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov / Pavel Sorin, as per ESPN.
Speaking to ANI, Salman's mother, Jabrun Nisha, expressed pride at her son's feat, saying that he has made the whole country proud.
"We have been praying for him from the beginning. We knew he went to play, so we have been praying for days. Today, everyone in our home woke up around 4:00 AM to pray. At 5:00 AM, we received the news. We are extremely happy, and so are our neighbors, the entire village, and everyone at home. The joy is beyond words. He is our child, so naturally, we are thrilled. The whole nation is happy because he has made India proud," she said.
Salman's mother reflected on her son's hardships, saying that the family faced financial struggles and earlier used to live in Haryana. After the death of his father, they left from there, and he started to drive a cab to support his family, consisting of six young children.
"We faced a lot of hardships. Initially, we struggled financially and went through tough times. Earlier, we lived in Haryana. When his father passed away, our family had to leave and come back home. Then he went out again; first, he drove a cab to support the family and took on all responsibilities," she recalled.
"We have six young children—four boys and two girls. When their father passed away, the children were very young; one was just a year old, and he was around 17 or 18. He took on the full responsibility of the family," she added.
Salman's mother said that while he managed expenses while driving a cab, Salman's relatives, neighbours and close people adviced him to join the army due to his great physique and even there, he failed in the first attempt before cracking it. He was selected in sports in the army, and from there, his journey started.
"His relatives, brothers, and neighbours advised him to try joining the Army since he had a good physical build. He failed his first attempt, felt discouraged, and said he would not go again and would stick to driving Ola. But he tried again, passed, and joined the Army," she recalled.
"In the Army, seeing his build, they selected him for sports. Even though he was not initially keen, they kept him in sports due to his fitness. He went on to win many medals, which are collected at home. He worked hard for years to reach this level. God finally heard our prayers, he reached there, and by God's grace, he won," she signed off. (ANI)
From cab driver to Asian Games medalist: Salman Khan's inspiring journey to podium
