Photo: TN Sports Desk
Wrestler Vijay Gahlawat in action at the 2018 Junior World Championships. (Special Arrangement/Sports Now)
In the akharas of Haryana, where mud carries both sweat and destiny, stories are rarely this poetic, and this painful. Years ago, when Vijay Gahlawat first met a young, raw Lalit Sherawat, he did something few would. He didn’t just train with him under Pawan Shastri in Jhajjar; he adopted him. Not in paperwork, but in spirit. In a sport defined by individual glory, Vijay chose to share his journey. Ironically, Vijay’s own résumé is glittering. He was the U23 Asian Champion (2019) and the Junior World Champion (2018), yet recognition eluded him. Lalit Sehrawat, on the other hand, has stepped into the spotlight. His stunning win over China’s Shi Huoying, a World Championships medalist, in the 55kg semi-final at the Asian Wrestling Championships has marked him as India’s next big hope in the 60kg Greco-Roman category for the Asian Games 2026.
