Worli Siblings Viha and Vir Gahrotra Win Gold Medals in World Championships
Two teenage siblings from Worli have secured world titles in unconventional disciplines, after 14-year-old Viha Gahrotra won gold in bridge at the 9th World Youth Transnational Championship in Hefei, China, last Wednesday. Her achievement follows that of her 17-year-old brother, Vir Gahrotra, who won India’s first gold medal at the Pole and Aerial Sports World Championship in Hungary last December.
Viha secured her world title in the Under-16 Final B category in Hefei. Competing in an open format that allows multinational teams, she partnered with India’s Ananya Mehta along with players from Norway and England whom she had met at a bridge event in Poland two years prior. The victory comes a year after she reached the final four at the Junior Bridge World Championship.
Vir competes in aerial silk, performing routines that combine strength, flexibility, balance, and drops on suspended fabric nearly 30 feet above the ground. He originally began practicing aerial silk at age eight as physiotherapy for underdeveloped thigh muscles after his mother signed him up following a festival performance. Viha took up bridge after a family friend and three-time Under-16 world champion conducted a boot camp at her school.
Both siblings have navigated training hurdles to reach the top of their sports. Vir trains against significant infrastructure gaps, as finding facilities in India with even 18 feet of ceiling clearance is difficult compared to European facilities that offer 30 feet. Meanwhile, Viha faced a shortage of local bridge coaches in India, relying primarily on online coaching and practicing up to nine hours a day during monthly camps.
Their mother, Kaushal Sanghvi, noted that neither child was deliberately pushed into unusual sports, stating that their involvement happened organically without a conscious decision.
Both athletes also regularly explain their choices to classmates who question their disciplines. While bridge is recognized by the International Olympic Committee, aerial silk is currently awaiting official recognition from the Indian Olympic Association.
