Rupal Chaudhary and Gulveer Singh The Tech Word News Sports Awards (TOISA) returns for its eighth year and celebrates the achievements and inspirational journeys of India’s top sportspersons. The TOISA 2025 ceremony will be held on March 21, 2026 in Lucknow and will bring together the country’s top sporting icons and rising stars.The awards in this edition will recognize performances in over 45 categories covering the judging period from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Indian sport has had a remarkable year, highlighted by outstanding performances at global and continental events.Athletes from Uttar Pradesh have dominated the nominations for Athlete of the Year (Athletics) at TOISA 2025. Of the eight nominees across the men’s and women’s categories, four are from the state.UP athletes make up half of the nominations in both the male and female categories.In the men’s category, distance runner Gulveer Singh had an amazing 2025, rewriting the record books in the 3000m, 5000m and 10000m events. He won two gold medals at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, winning the 5000m and 10000m races. He set national records in both events, with his 5000m mark 12:59.77 also became an Asian record.UP’s other nominated athlete is javelin thrower Sachin Yadav, who impressed at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Sachin finished a creditable fourth with a personal best of 86.72m, ahead of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra who placed eighth. He also won silver at the Asian Championship in South Korea, finishing behind Pakistan’s Paris Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem.In the women’s category, two of the four nominees are from UP — Parul Chaudhary and Rupal Chaudhary.Parul has twice set the national record in the 3000m steeplechase on the world stage. She broke it for the first time at the Diamond League in Doha, where she finished sixth against a world-class field. Weeks later she improved again at the Asian Championships in Gumi where she took silver and later added another silver in the 5000m.Rupal also had a breakthrough in 2025 at the continental level. At the Asian Championships in South Korea, she won three medals, two of which were gold. The 21-year-old won silver in the 400m and played a key role in India’s gold-winning performances in the women’s and 4x400m medley relays.Profiles of Uttar Pradesh athletes nominated in Athlete of the Year categories:
Gulveer Singh
Gulveer SinghDate of birth: June 1, 1998Place of Birth: Atrauli, Uttar PradeshSport: athletics (3000m, 5000m, 10000m)Major achievements in 2025:Asian Gumi Championships: gold (5000 m – 13:24.77 CR), gold (10,000 m)Gulveer Singh enjoyed a sensational 2025 season breaking national records in many distance events — 3000m, 5000m and 10000m. He emerged as a dominant force on the continental stage as he won gold in the 5000m and 10000m at the Asian Athletics Championships to become the reigning Asian champion.Gulveer set a new national record in the 3000m at the Gyulai István Memorial, clocking an impressive 7:34.49 to better his previous mark of 7:38.26 from earlier in the year at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. In the 5000m, he became the first Indian to break the 13-minute mark when he clocked 12:59.77 at the Boston University Terrier DMR Challenge – a performance that is also the Asian short track 5000m record. He continued his record-breaking spree in the 10,000m when he clocked 27:00.22 at the TEN to set another national benchmark.
Sachin Yadav
Sachin YadavDate of birth: October 25, 1999Place of Birth: Khekada, Uttar PradeshSport: athletics (javelin throw)Major achievements in 2025:Tokyo World Championships: 4th (86.27m – PB)Asian Gumi Championships: Silver (85.16m)In 2025, Sachin Yadav enjoyed a breakout season of personal bests and strong placings on the international stage. He started the year by winning gold at the National Games, achieving a personal best with a record throw of 84.39m. Yadav then impressed at the Asian Athletics Championships, where he secured the silver medal with another personal best of 85.16m, finishing just 1.24m behind Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem. He also competed in the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic, narrowly missing the podium by finishing fourth after a best throw of 82.33m. At the World Championships in Athletics, Yadav qualified for the final with a performance of 83.67 m in the qualifying round and in the final he performed a personal best of 86.27 m, eventually finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on a medal.
Parul Chaudhary (Getty Images)
Parul ChaudharyDate of birth: April 15, 1995Place of Birth: Iklauta, Uttar PradeshSport: athletics (3000 m steeplechase, 5000 m)Major achievements in 2025:Doha Diamond League – 6th – 9:13.39 NRAsian Gumi Championships: Silver (3000m steeplechase – 9:12.46 NR), Silver (5000m)In 2025, Parul Chaudhary had a remarkable season, breaking the national women’s 3000m steeplechase record more than once on some of the sport’s biggest stages. Competing in one of the most demanding athletics events, she broke the national mark for the first time at the Doha Diamond League when she clocked 9:13.39 to finish a respectable sixth against a world-class field. Just a few weeks later, at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, Parul bettered her own record with a superb performance of 9:12.46 to secure the silver medal. She capped off an outstanding continental campaign by adding another silver in the 5000m, underscoring her versatility and endurance and making 2025 one of the best seasons of her career. Rupal ChaudharyDate of birth: 23 December 2004Place of Birth: Shahpur Jainpur, Uttar PradeshSport: athletics (400 m)Major achievements in 2025:Asian Gumi Championships: Silver (400m), Gold (4x400m), Gold (4x400m Mixed)In 2025, young Rupal Chaudhary enjoyed a breakout year, headlined by a stellar show at the Asian Athletics Championships. The 21-year-old returned home with three medals from the continental meet, including two golds – playing a key role in India’s triumphs in the women’s 4x400m relay and 4x400m medley relay. She also impressed individually with a silver medal in the 400m. Rupal further demonstrated her growing position on the global stage by representing India at the World Athletics Relays where she competed in the 4x400m medley relay.
