When 15-year-old Lalit walked into Raipur Sports Akhada in Sonepat in 2017 to immerse himself into the world of Greco-Roman wrestling, he had no idea that he would be standing on the cusp of history years later in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. At one point, even that walk to the akhada looked like it would never happen. Lalit had lost his mother early in life and grew up without any support from his father towards his wrestling journey.
On Monday, the 23-year-old from Panipat, defeated the 2025 World Championships medalist and top-seed Shi Huoying of China in the semi-final of the 55kg category of the Asian Wrestling Championships. He now enters the final where he faces third seed Ikhtiyor Botirov of Uzbekistan and has the chance to become only the fourth Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win an Asian title.
Unlike his smooth takedowns on the mat, his journey from the streets of Panipat to a coveted Asian podium have been anything but easy.
Lalit lost his mother when he was still in his cradle and grew up without any support from a father who was saddened with the loss of his wife and eventually passed away in 2023. But wrestling is where he chanced upon his other family. In his early wrestling days, where he trained under coach Pawan Shastri in Jhajjar, he met Vijay Gahlawat, a fellow senior wrestler and someone who would become his confidante and take up the role of an elder brother and guardian.
“I have seen and known Lalit since he was a kid in school. He used to watch us wrestle and then joined in. Once I saw him at a dangal and told him that if you need anything, I am there for you,” Vijay said to The Indian Express after Lalit’s win. “He came to me in 2015 and that is when I told my father that he is my brother and he will live with me now.”
The reaction from Vijay’s father forever changed the course of Lalit’s journey in wrestling. “My father said okay, he is our third son and we have adopted him. Since then, he has become an integral part of our family. He is part of all the celebrations and functions.”
After Lalit started training with Vijay, he made sure that the youngster stayed on course. “Since his school days, I have made sure that he doesn’t miss a competition. Being a wrestler I knew what things not to do and made sure that he gets that knowledge from me. He has gradually moved up the ranks with medals at Cadet National Championships and then U23 Asian Championships. Now, he is in the final of the Asian Championships. I never have felt this amount of satisfaction before,” said Vijay.
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When asked what kind of relation he has with Lalit, Vijay laughs, “Maan lo ji jaise ustaad aur shaagird ka hota hai.(Think of it as a teacher and student). He tells me everything. I have made sure that he stays away from any kind of wrong company. If something is needed, I go with him.”
A young Lalit (L) with Vijay Gahlawat in 2017. (Special Arrangement)
Early potential
Vijay, who has multiple national titles and a silver at the World Junior Championships, joined the Navy in 2016 and moved to train with the Navy team which trains at Raipur Sports Academy under Kuldeep Singh Sehrawat. Still in his teens, Lalit got a chance to train with the coach and his wrestlers who were already competing at the international level.
“He was just a kid when he came to our academy. He came in 2017 and since then he has been living and training here with us. When Vijay joined us, Lalit came along like a package,” quipped Kuldeep. “He was training in Jhajjar before but he was a kid then. After coming here, Vijay and our academy made sure that he doesn’t have a burden of anything. We trained him here and he gave us results also. He learnt the sport here and eventually got recruited by the Navy,” he added further.
Kuldeep, who was the coach when India won its only Greco-Roman World Championships medal, recognized the potential in the teenager and started grooming him to become a technically sound wrestler.
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“Greco-Roman is all about technique. We have very few technical wrestlers in Greco-Roman in India. If one can execute technique at the elite level, that is what brings medals in Greco-Roman,” explained Kuldeep.
Lalit will be up against an experienced wrestler in Uzbekistan’s Botirov, who is a two-time Asian medallist. “He is young and this is his first major championship. All I was expecting was an Asian podium but his performance and maturity has really impressed me,” said Kuldeep about his ward.
When Lalit will step on a mat on Tuesday, there will be a lot of eyes on him – particularly the ones of his chosen family.
