From roller skating to the world stage of cycling; Ludhiana’s Harshvir Singh Sekhon’s passionate flight
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Worn on skates at the age of 6, won an Asian medal, changed sports due to financial difficulties and made India’s identity in cycling
The sporting journey of Harshvir Singh Sekhon from Ludhiana city of Punjab is an example of the fact that if a player has hard work, courage and the spirit to fight against circumstances, then the destination can be achieved despite changing sports. Born on 17 January 1998, Harshvir first represented India in roller skating and later made cycling his main sporting career. In 2026, he also became a part of India’s Commonwealth Games team.
Harshvir’s father Baljit Sekhon and mother Baldeep Sekhon supported him in his sporting journey. His younger sister Jasmine Kaur Sekhon is also involved in cycling and has secured a place at the Indian national level. Thus, the sporting atmosphere remained in the Sekhon family.
A journey that began at the age of six/ Financial difficulties changed his career
Harshveer started roller skating in his childhood. He trained under the guidance of coach J.S. Dhaliwal at the Leisure Valley Rink in Ludhiana. In skating, he won several medals at the state and national levels and gradually made his place among the top young skaters in India. His biggest skating achievement was winning the silver medal at the Asian Skating Championship. In 2018, he also competed in the 20,000m roller speed skating for India at the Jakarta Asian Games.
The most difficult phase of Harshveer’s story was when he had to struggle with lack of financial support despite qualifying for the World Championship. He himself said that even in national competitions, players had to pay many expenses from their own pockets. Due to this, the family also expressed concern about the future of the sport and he decided to quit skating and focus on his studies. But this was not the end, it was a new turning point in his life.
In 2018, a family friend inspired Harshvir towards cycling. A victory in a competition with a brilliant performance boosted his confidence and he decided to take up cycling professionally. This decision changed his sporting life.
Asia Cup in 2019! First big cycling medal
Shortly after stepping into a new direction in 2019, Harshvir won the silver medal in the 4 km team pursuit of the Asia Cup. He was just 0.33 seconds behind the gold medal. Harshvir did not leave his studies with sports. He did his schooling from DAV Public School and later joined Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC), Ludhiana. In college, he pursued CSE and later MBA. In the 2022 records of GNDEC, he is listed as a student of the MBA department. This is another side of his personality—he is a sportsman who carries both sports and education together.
Shines at the national level in 2021
In 2021, Harshveer won several medals in the National Road Cycling Championship and was also adjudged the Best Cyclist in the same competition. In the same year, he also won a medal in the All India Track Cycling Championship. According to the annual report of GNDEC, at that time he was preparing for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championship by staying in the Indian camp. GNDEC provided significant support in his sporting journey. An official publication of the college also mentions financial assistance of about Rs 6 lakh for him.
Asia Cup- Three silvers in 2023, reach the 2024 World Championship
Harshveer won silver medals in the Omnium and Elimination Race in the 2023 Asian Track Cycling Cup. Combined with the 2019 Team Pursuit silver, his Asia Cup tally now stands at three silver medals. Therefore, it is apt to call him a triple silver medallist of the Asia Cup.
In 2024, Harshvir won the Bronze Medal in the Elimination Race at the Prešov Grand Prix in Slovakia. Apart from this, he joined the Indian endurance cyclists who qualified for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. According to the 2026 profile of the Times of India, he became one of the first Indian endurance cyclists to compete in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2024.
Big stage at the 2026 Commonwealth Games
Harshvir Singh Sekhon was included in the Indian cycling contingent for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He was part of the Indian team for endurance events like Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race, Elimination Race and Points Race. His journey during the Commonwealth Games did not end up with a medal as expected. He could not advance in the Individual Pursuit and Elimination Race, but reaching this level in itself is a major achievement in his long journey.
Before the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Harshvir underwent high-performance training under the guidance of renowned cycling coach Freddie Rodriguez in the US and participated in international races. This was an important stage in further strengthening his preparation at the international level.
Many people and institutions contributed to Harshvir’s success
Many people and institutions contributed to Harshvir’s success; family, roller skating coach J.S. Dhaliwal, a family friend who connected him with cycling, GNDEC, Nankana Sahib Education Trust and Cycling Federation of India. GNDEC records also mention that the college provided him with academic and financial support. Memorable moments for Harshvir include a silver in the Asian Skating Championship, a silver in the 4km Team Pursuit at the 2019 Asia Cup, the Best Cyclist achievement of 2021, two silvers in the 2023 Asia Cup, qualification for the 2024 World Championships and selection in the Indian team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. His identity is mainly recorded as an Indian elite track cyclist.
It is worth mentioning that the story of Harshvir Singh Sekhon is not just a list of medals. This is the story of a player who changed his path due to financial difficulties in a sport, but did not give up the passion for the game. This journey from roller skating to cycling shows that sometimes you have to change the path to reach the destination, not the destination. This son of Ludhiana has made his mark from the skating track to the cycling velodrome. His story is a clear message for the young players of Punjab, difficult circumstances can slow down the speed of a player, but if the passion remains, the destination is not far away.
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