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 medallist, 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.
Wrestler Vijay Gahlawat’s Journey
Talking about his journey and how he met Lalit almost a decade ago, Vijay told Sports Now, “I was very young. I was very mischievous. My father, who was a wrestler, couldn’t pursue it professionally due to financial problems. So, he thought one of his sons should become a wrestler. So, he put my brother in the academy. My brother said that he won’t do it after a year or two. But my father wanted to make someone a wrestler. So, my father put me in the Gurukul academy in Jhajjar under coach Pawan Shastri. My father did not force me like that, but I started to like it. So, I started wrestling from there. And then I met Lalit. That’s how the journey started.”
Vijay Gahlawat’s own résumé is glittering
Vijay won the silver medal at the Junior World Championships in 2018, followed it up with a bronze medal at the U23 Asia Championships in 2019. In addition to the above, he also won a medal at the Senior Nationals. Reminiscing about his years when he started his journey, Vijay recalled, “I started wrestling from 2009-10 under Pawan Shastri at Gurukul. And in 2016, after getting a job, I joined the Navy Team under Kuldeep Singh Sehrawat. And since then, I have been here, dreaming of winning gold for India at the Olympics someday.”
But destiny is rarely linear. The 26-year-old wrestler is currently nursing an injury and will not be there at the National camp in Lucknow, for which Lalit will be leaving on Sunday, April 19, 2026. He is, in the meantime, preparing for the Open Ranking series, which is scheduled to take place in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. Vijay knows a win there will make him eligible for the Asian Games trials for the 60 kg category.
Adopted Brother, One Olympic Dream
Both now stand on the edge of the Asian Games dream. Vijay, battling injury, must first win the May 12 ranking tournament to even qualify for trials in the 60kg Greco-Roman category. Lalit, a natural 55kg wrestler, is expected to move up, placing them on a potential collision course. Adopted brother versus brother. Only one ticket. And yet, Vijay’s words carry no bitterness. No entitlement. No expectation of karma. “If he beats me, I’ll be proud.”
“If I lose to Lalit, I will be proud. He is my younger brother. He is doing better than me. And if loses. So, even then, I will be so happy. If the younger brother could not, the elder brother won it. We will play to win. And secondly, he is coming from the 55 kg to the 60 kg category. And if he beats a 60 kg wrestler, there is no greater happiness for me,” Vijay said.
In a system where sacrifice often demands reward, Vijay has quietly rewritten the equation. This is not a story about rivalry. It is about surrender, the kind that doesn’t weaken you, but defines you.
“I am talking about good deeds. Lalit is there for his hard work and not because he is my adopted brother. If you work hard and lose. Then you will be sad. Yes. But my mind has been like this since the beginning. That is not to sit with one thing. Whether you win or you lose. Start all over again. Train your mind and focus on your work. Run after that target you want to achieve,”
“We will be facing each other, as only one would be eligible to represent India in the 60kg category at the Asian Games. One would have to stay at home, and that doesn’t matter. Let the best wrestler represent India,” he concluded.
As the Bhagavad Gita reminds us: “Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana” – (You have a right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits of your actions). And perhaps, in that quiet acceptance, Vijay Gahlawat has already won the purest contest of them all.