Neeraj Chopra Awarded Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025
Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was conferred the Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025 award at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards ceremony, organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) in New Delhi on Saturday, June 20, 2026. The event marked the first edition of the awards, aimed at recognizing contributions from athletes, coaches, officials, and other stakeholders in Indian athletics.
Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and silver in Paris, expressed that the honour held special significance as it was presented in the presence of athletes from multiple generations. Speaking at the ceremony, he said, "Yeh award dil ke nazdik hai (This award is very close to my heart). The old and new generation of athletes are here. I am very happy to have received the award in front of them."
Chopra’s Recent Performance and Recovery
Chopra had flown in from Doha earlier that day after competing at the Doha Diamond League on Friday night. In his season-opening event, the 28-year-old recorded a best throw of 85.69 meters in his third attempt, finishing fourth. He has been recovering from a back injury sustained before the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025. The Doha event marked his return after an eighth-place finish at the World Championships.
Since May 25, Chopra has been training in Switzerland following a rehabilitation stint in Turkey. Despite the injury setback, he comfortably surpassed the 82.61-meter qualification mark set by the AFI for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Stellar 2025 Season and Upcoming Goals
Chopra is expected to be India’s biggest medal hope at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July-August) and the Asian Games in Japan (September-October), provided he remains injury-free. His 2025 season was remarkable: he breached the 90-meter mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23 meters at the Doha Diamond League, finishing second. He also topped the Paris Diamond League standings and won the NC Classic in Bengaluru.
Best Female Athlete and Lifetime Achievement Award
The Best Female Athlete of the Year award went to Parul Chaudhary, the national record holder in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Earlier in the ceremony, legendary sprinter and Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Inaugural Indian Athletics Awards Categories
The Indian Athletics Awards, launched by the AFI, aim to recognize the contributions of athletes, coaches, technical officials, mentors, state associations, and other stakeholders to the growth of the sport. The inaugural edition featured 10 categories, including Best Male and Female Athlete, Best Coach, Best Technical Official, Best State Association, and Lifetime Achievement Award.
