The eighth edition of the Tech Word News Sports Awards (TOISA) will be held on March 21, 2026 in Lucknow and will celebrate the inspirational journeys and achievements of India’s best sportspersons across disciplines. TOISA 2025 recognizes performances between 1 January and 31 December 2025 and will highlight outstanding displays at world championships and major international competitions. Featuring more than 45 award categories, the event recognizes both established stars and emerging talents who have made the nation proud through exceptional performances.The winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges comprising some of India’s most respected sporting icons, including Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, hockey legend PR Sreejesh, batting great Mithali Raj, Paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia, table tennis stalwart Sharath Kamal and tennis legend Leander Paese. Their combined expertise ensures a credible and balanced assessment of excellence across Indian sports.The TOISA 2025 shooting nominations reflect the remarkable depth of Indian sport, with several athletes delivering medal-winning performances on the global stage. Among the men, Samrat Rana made history with gold at the ISSF World Championships and Ravinder Singh also became the world champion in the 50m pistol. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish Bhanwala impressed with podium finishes at the World Championships and World Cup Finals respectively, while Varun Tomar and Rudrankksh Patil added key medals from the World Championships and Championships respectively.In the women’s category, teenage sensation Suruchi Inder Singh enjoyed a breakout year with multiple gold medals at the World Championships. Simranpreet Kaur claimed gold in the ISSF World Cup final, while Esha Singh showed her versatility with medals in two pistol events. Elavenil Valarivan and Sift Kaur Samra also enjoyed outstanding seasons, while Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker maintained her consistency with multiple podium finishes at major events.SHOOTING – MANSamrat RanaDate of birth: January 8, 2005Place of Birth: Karnal, HaryanaSport: Shooting (10m air pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Teams) and Silver (Mixed Teams)ISSF World Championship Final: Bronze (Individuals)Youngster Samrat Rana made history last year by becoming the first world champion from India in his discipline, the 10m air pistol, marking a defining breakthrough in his career. The former world junior champion produced a sensational performance at the 2025 ISSF WC where he became one of the biggest stars of the tournament with three medals. Rana won a gold medal in the individual event and followed it up with another gold in the team event. He also secured a silver medal in the mixed team event alongside Esha Singh.This outstanding performance made Rana only the third Indian shooting world champion, joining an elite list that includes Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and world champion Rudrankksh Patil. The 21-year-old continued to shine later in the season as he added a bronze medal at the Doha World Cup Final, ensuring the year would be one of the most memorable and significant phases of his fast-paced shooting journey.Ravinder SinghDate of birth: October 17, 1996Place of Birth: Bishnah, Jammu and KashmirSport: Shooting (50m pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Silver (Teams)Asian Championships: Silver (Team)Ravinder Singh, a 29-year-old Naik Subedar in the Indian Army, achieved the biggest success of his shooting career by winning gold in the 50m pistol, a non-Olympic event, at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo. Hailing from Bishnah in Jammu and Kashmir, he produced a composed, high quality performance to finish on the podium in a strong international field. He also won team silver, capping off a remarkable and highly successful year.Aishwarya Pratap Singh TomarDate of birth: February 3, 2001Place of Birth: Khargone, Madhya PradeshSport: Shooting (50m rifle 3 positions)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Individuals)ISSF World Championship Final: Silver (Individuals)Asian Championships: Gold (Individuals), Silver (Teams)Two-time Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar ended last year with podium finishes at the ISSF World Championships and ISSF World Cup Finals. The 3 position specialist in the 50m rifle won an individual silver in Cairo and followed it up with another silver in Doha. He also found success at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, securing individual gold and team silver to complete an impressive season.Anish BhanwalaDate of birth: September 26, 2002Place of Birth: Sonipat, HaryanaSport: Shooting (25m rapid fire pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Individuals)ISSF World Championship Final: Silver (Individuals)Asian Championships: Silver (Individuals), Silver (Teams)Young pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala won the second medal of his career at the ISSF World Championships last year, securing an individual silver in Cairo. He followed it up with another individual silver at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. It has turned out to be quite the year for the 23-year-old, who bagged two silvers at the Asian Shooting Championships, one each in the individual and one.Varun TomarDate of birth: September 8, 2003Place of Birth: Baghpat, Uttar PradeshSport: Shooting (10m air pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Teams), Bronze (Individuals)Young pistol shooter Varun Tomar, who took up the sport inspired by his Olympian cousin Saurabh Chaudhary, won two medals at the ISSF World Championships. He won bronze in the individual competition won by teammate Samrat Rana and combined with Samrat and Sharvan Kumar to win the team gold. Three years earlier in 2022, he won team gold and individual bronze at the World Junior Championships.Rudranksh PatilDate of birth: December 16, 2003Place of Birth: Thane, MaharashtraSport: shooting (10m air rifle)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF Buenos Aires World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Silver (Mixed Teams)ISSF Lima World Championships: Silver (Mixed Team)Asian Championships: Gold (Teams)The young 22-year-old rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil enjoyed a very successful 2025 season and won several World Cup medals. He started the year with individual gold at the ISSF World Championships in Argentina and also secured mixed team silver with Arya Borse at the same tournament. The pair won another mixed team silver at the ISSF World Championships in Peru, making it three World Championship medals this year. Patil also won the team gold at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, capping off a prolific and impressive season.SHOOTING – WOMANSuruchi Inder SinghDate of birth: April 28, 2006Place of Birth: Jhajjar, HaryanaSport: Shooting (10m air pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Team)ISSF World Championship Final: Gold (Individuals)ISSF Buenos Aires World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Bronze (Mixed Teams)ISSF Lima World Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Mixed Teams)ISSF World Championships Munich: Gold (Individuals)Asian Championships: Bronze (Team), Bronze (Mixed Team)The year 2025 was a breakthrough year for teenage shooter Suruchi Singh. The 19-year-old rose to prominence after winning five gold medals at the ISSF World Cup stages. She started with an individual gold at the ISSF World Championships in Argentina, where she also won a mixed team bronze. She followed it up with a double gold at the ISSF World Cup in Peru, winning the individual title and mixed team gold with Saurabh Chaudhary. Suruchi then secured another individual gold at the ISSF World Championships in Germany before securing her fifth gold at the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha. She also added a team silver at the ISSF World Championships and two bronze medals at the Asian Championships to round off a remarkable season. Simranpreet KaurDate of birth: October 2, 2004Place of Birth: Faridkot, PunjabSport: Shooting (25m pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championship Final: Gold (Individuals)ISSF Lima World Championships: Silver (Individuals)Asian Championships: Bronze (Team)Young pistol shooter Simranpreet Kaur made 2025 a memorable year by winning gold at the prestigious ISSF World Cup finals in Doha. She clinched the title with a new junior world record of 41 out of 50. Earlier in the season, she won her first senior international medal – an individual silver at the ISSF World Cup in Peru. She also added a team bronze at the Asian Shooting Championships to round off an impressive year.Esha SinghDate of birth: January 1, 2005Place of Birth: Hyderabad, TelanganaSports: Shooting (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Bronze (25m Pistol – Individual), Silver (10m Air Pistol – Team), Silver (10m Air Pistol – Mixed Team)ISSF World Championships Buenos Aires: Silver (25m Pistol – Individual)ISSF World Cup Ningbo: Gold (10m Air Pistol – Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (25m Pistol – Team)Young pistol shooter Esha Singh had an amazing 2025, winning multiple medals at major events in both her events – 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol. The 21-year-old won three medals at the ISSF World Championships, securing an individual bronze in the 25m pistol and two silvers in the 10m air pistol (team and mixed team), an extraordinary feat for the youngster. She also won individual gold in the 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Championships in China and individual silver in the 25m pistol at the ISSF World Championships in Argentina earlier in the season. She also added a team bronze in the 25m pistol at the Asian Shooting Championships, making it a truly breakout year, marked by success in both disciplines.Elavenil ValarivanDate of birth: August 2, 1999Place of Birth: Cuddalore, Tamil NaduSport: shooting (10m air rifle)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Bronze (Individuals), Bronze (Teams)ISSF World Cup Munich: Bronze (Individuals)Asian Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Mixed Teams), Bronze (Teams)Two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan claimed two bronze medals at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo, taking her total tally at the event to three bronzes after placing on the team podium in 2022. The rifle shooter also secured an individual bronze at the ISSF World Cup during the season. She also enjoyed an outstanding continental campaign, winning two gold medals (individual and mixed team) and a team bronze at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, capping off a very successful year.Begging Kaur SamraDate of birth: September 9, 2001Place of Birth: Faridkot, PunjabSport: Shooting (50m rifle 3 positions)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF Buenos Aires World Championships: Gold (Individuals)ISSF World Cup Munich: Bronze (Individuals)Asian Championships: Gold (Individuals), Gold (Teams)Sift Kaur Samra has made a name for herself in one of the toughest competitions in shooting sports — the 50m Rifle 3 Position. She won her first individual gold at the ISSF World Cup last year, marking a major milestone in her career. She then added another individual World Championship medal, securing bronze at the ISSF World Championships in Germany. Sift also enjoyed a dominant run at the Asian Shooting Championships, winning two gold medals with individual and team podium finishes in Kazakhstan.Manu BhakerDate of birth: February 18, 2002Place of Birth: Goria, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol)Major achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (10m Air Pistol – Team)ISSF World Cup Lima: Silver (10m Air Pistol – Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (10m Air Pistol – Individual), Bronze (10m Air Pistol – Team), Bronze (25m Pistol – Team)Manu Bhaker, a double medalist from the Paris Olympics, had a steady 2025 season, despite gold eluding her at major events. She won team silver at the ISSF World Championships and followed it up with an individual silver at the ISSF World Cup. Manu also celebrated success at the Asian Shooting Championships, winning three medals – an individual bronze and two team bronzes – to cap off a consistent year.
