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 …