The eighth edition of the Tech Word News Sports Awards will be held on 21 March 2026 in Lucknow and will celebrate the achievements of India’s best sportspersons across disciplines during the 2025 sports season. The awards recognize performances between 1 January and 31 December 2025 across more than 45 categories and recognize both established stars and emerging talents who have excelled at global and continental events. The winners will be decided by a distinguished panel of judges that includes Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, hockey great PR Sreejesh, former Indian captain Mithali Raj, Paralympic legend Devendra Jhajharia, table tennis icon Sharath Kamal and tennis great Leander Paes, ensuring a credible assessment of excellence in Indian sports.Following impressive international seasons, the athletics nominees have featured some standout performers. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra led the men after breaking the 90m barrier with a national record throw of 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League. Distance runner Gulveer Singh enjoyed a sensational year at the Asian Athletics Championships with double gold in the 5000m and 10000m, while sprinter Animesh Kujur set a national record in the 100m. In the women’s category, Parul Chaudhary, Jyothi Yarraji, Pooja Singh and Rupal Chaudhary impressed with medal performances and record performances during the 2025 season.Here are the nominees for athletics TO ISA 2025:ATHLETICS (TRACK) – MANNeeraj ChopraDate of birth: December 24, 1997Place of Birth: Khandra, HaryanaSport: Athletics (javelin)Major achievements in 2025:Diamond League Finals in Zurich: 2Doha Diamond League: 2nd (90.23m NR)Meeting in Paris: 1Zlá tretra Ostrava: GoldNeeraj Chopra Classic: GoldenOne of India’s most decorated athletes, Neeraj Chopra continued his remarkable career in 2025 despite a rare setback at the World Athletics Championships where he finished eighth. However, the Javelin star extended his streak of top-two finishes in the Diamond League Finals with a second place finish in Zurich. He also secured victory at the Paris Diamond League meeting and achieved a major milestone at the Doha Diamond League when he broke the 90m barrier for the first time with a national record throw of 90.23m. Although he finished second to Julian Weber (91.06m), his performance marked a historic breakthrough. Neeraj went on to add two gold titles to his season, winning the Ostrava Golden Trek and triumphing at India’s first gold-level meet named in his honour, the Neeraj Chopra Classic, to cap off another impressive year. Animesh KujurDate of birth: June 2, 2003Place of Birth: Jashpur, ChhattisgarhSport: athletics (100 m, 200 m)Major achievements in 2025:Asian Gumi Championships: Bronze (200m – 20.32s NR)World University Games: Bronze (4x100m)In 2025, Animesh Kujur made history by becoming the first Indian sprinter to qualify for the World Athletics Championships. At the Dromia International Sprint and Relay meet, he set a new national record in the 100m in 10.18 seconds, beating the previous record of 10.20 seconds held by Gurindervir Singh. Kujur also impressed in the 200m, clocking 20.32 seconds in the final at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea to better his own national record of 20.40 seconds set at the Federation Cup earlier in the season. He won a respectable bronze medal at the continental championship.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 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.ATHLETICS (TRACK) – WOMENParul 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.Jyothi YarrajiDate of birth: August 28, 1999Place of Birth: Visakhapatnam, Andhra PradeshSport: athletics (100 m hurdles)Major achievements in 2025:Asian Gumi Championships: Gold (100 m hurdles – 12.96 s CR)In 2025, Jyothi Yarraji reasserted her authority over sprint hurdles in Asia with a commanding defense of her title at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. The national record holder won gold in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.96 seconds, setting a new competition record and successfully defending the crown she first won in Bangkok in 2023 (13.09s). She added to her medal tally by winning gold at the Taiwan Athletics Open in Taipei, adding to India’s strong showing at the meet. However, her season was cut short when she injured her knee in training and underwent ACL surgery, ruling her out of the 2025 World Championships and the rest of the year.Pooja SinghDate of birth: February 21, 2007Place of Birth: Bosti, HaryanaSport: athletics (high jump)Major achievements in 2025:Gumi Asian Championships: Gold (1.89m PB, NU20R)In 2025, Pooja Singh announced her arrival on the senior stage with a sensational breakthrough season. The teenage high jumper won gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, becoming the continental champion with a season’s best clearance of 1.89m. Her winning leap not only secured a stunning victory but also improved her own national under-20 record. With this triumph, she achieved a rare feat in Indian athletics – becoming the first Indian woman since Bobby Aloysius to win a medal in the high jump at the Asian Championships. Aloysius had previously won gold in 2000 and silver in 2002, making Pooji’s 2025 achievement a landmark and signaling the rise of a promising new star in Indian high jump.
