The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) are back for the eighth edition to celebrate the achievements and inspiring journeys of India’s best athletes. The TOISA 2025 Awards Ceremony will be held in Lucknow on March 21, 2026, bringing together the country’s top sports icons and emerging stars.The awards will recognize performance in more than 45 categories and will be evaluated from January 1 to December 31, 2025. The Indian sports world has had a remarkable year, highlighted by outstanding performances in global and continental events.Athletics athletes from Uttar Pradesh dominate the TOISA Sportsperson of the Year 2025 (Athletics) nominations. Of the eight nominees in the men’s and women’s categories, four are from the state.UP athletes accounted for half of the nominations in both the men’s and women’s categories.In the men’s category, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh had an amazing year in 2025, rewriting records in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m events. He won gold medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. He set national records in both events, including his 5,000-meter time of 12:59.77, which also became an Asian record.Another UP athlete nominated is a javelin thrower Sachin YadavImpressed at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Sachin finished fourth with a personal best of 86.72m, ahead of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in eighth. He also won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in South Korea, behind Paris Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.In the women’s category, two of the four nominees are from UP — Parul Chowdhury and Rupal Chowdhury.Parul set a new national record in the 3000m steeplechase twice on the global stage. She broke this record for the first time at the Doha Diamond League, finishing sixth among a world-class field. A few weeks later, she repeated her success at the Asian Championships in Gumi, winning a silver medal, and then added another silver medal in the 5,000 meters.Rupal also achieved a breakthrough at the continental level in 2025. She won three medals, including two gold medals, at the Asian Championships in South Korea. The 21-year-old won a silver medal in the 400m event and played a key role in India’s bid for gold in the women’s 4x400m relay and mixed event.Profiles of Uttar Pradesh athletes nominated in the Athlete of the Year (Athletics) category:
Gurvir Singh
Gurvir SinghDate of birth: June 1, 1998Place of birth: Atrauli, Uttar PradeshSports events: Track and field (3000m, 5000m, 10,000m)Main achievements in 2025:Gumi Asian Championships: Gold (5000m – 13:24.77 CR), Gold (10,000m)Gulveer Singh has had an exciting 2025 season, setting national records in multiple long distance events (3000m, 5000m and 10,000m). He won the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter gold medals at the Asian Athletics Championships, becoming the defending Asian champion and a dominant player on the mainland stage.Gourville set a new national record in the 3,000 meters at the Gyulai István Memorial with a time of 7:34.49, breaking his previous record of 7:38.26 set at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational earlier this year. He became the first Indian to break the 13-minute mark in the 5000m race, clocking 12 minutes 59.77 seconds at the Boston University Terriers DMR Challenge, a time that also set an Asian 5000m sprint record. He went on to break the record in the 10,000 meters, setting another national benchmark with a time of 27:00.22 in the ten-man event.
Sachin Yadav
Sachin YadavDate of birth: October 25, 1999Place of birth: Hekkarda, Uttar PradeshSports: Track and Field (Javelin)Main achievements in 2025:Tokyo World Championships: 4th (86.27m – PB)Gumi Asian Championships: Silver Medal (85.16m)Sachin Yadav had a breakthrough season in 2025, scoring personal bests and excelling on the international stage. At the beginning of this year, he won the gold medal at the National Games, setting a personal best and setting a competition record of 8439m. Yadav then performed well at the Asian Athletics Championships, winning the silver medal with a personal best of 85.16m, just 1.24m behind Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem. He also participated in the first Neeraj Chopra Classic and finished fourth with a best result of 82.33m, just missing the podium. At the World Athletics Championships, Yadav entered the finals with a score of 83.67m in the qualifying round and hit a personal best of 86.27m in the finals, finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on a medal.
Parul Chowdhury (Getty Images)
Parul ChowdhuryDate of birth: April 15, 1995Place of birth: Ikrauta, Uttar PradeshSports: Track and Field (3000m Obstacle Race, 5000m)Main achievements in 2025:Doha Diamond League – 6th place – 9:13.39 NRGumi Asian Championships: Silver (3000m steeplechase – 9:12.46 NR), Silver (5000m)Parul Chaudhary had a phenomenal season in 2025, rewriting the national record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase on more than one occasion on some of the sport’s biggest stages. In one of the most demanding events in athletics, she broke the national record for the first time at the Doha Diamond League, finishing sixth in a world-class meet with a time of 9 minutes, 13.39 seconds. A few weeks later, at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, Parul broke his own record and won the silver medal with a performance of 9 minutes, 12.46 seconds. She rounded off a remarkable continental season with another silver medal in the 5000m, underscoring her versatility and endurance to make 2025 one of the best seasons of her career.
Rupal ChowdhuryDate of birth: December 23, 2004Place of birth: Shapur Jainpur, Uttar PradeshSports: Track and Field (400m)Main achievements in 2025:Gumi Asian Championships: Silver (400m), Gold (4x400m), Gold (4x400m Mixed)In 2025, young Rupal Chaudhary had a breakthrough year with a stellar performance at the Asian Athletics Championships. The 21-year-old, who has three medals at the continental championships, including two golds, played a key role in India’s victories in the women’s 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay. On a personal note, she also impressed with a silver medal in the 400m event. Rupal represented India at the World Athletics Relays in the 4x400m mixed relay, further demonstrating her growing stature on the global stage.
 returns for its eighth edition, celebrating the achievements and inspiring journeys of India’s finest athlete.){kind=link}