Sports

Neeraj Chopra, Parul Chaudhary named top athletes at inaugural Indian Athletics Awards

Monday, 22 June 2026 5 min readSource: India TodayArticle 7 of 9

Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra and national-record steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary were named the Best Male Athlete and Best Female Athlete of the Year 2025, respectively, at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards, held in New Delhi on June 20, 2026 by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Shahnavaz Khan and Pooja were named the Best Emerging Athletes. The ceremony honoured India's leading track-and-field performers from the 2025 season; Chopra's year featured a landmark 90.23m javelin throw (his first time crossing the 90-metre mark) and the Neeraj Chopra Classic.

Key Facts & Details

8 points

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The inaugural Indian Athletics Awards were held in New Delhi on June 20, 2026, organised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
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Neeraj Chopra was named Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025.
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Parul Chaudhary (steeplechase) was named Best Female Athlete of the Year 2025.
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Shahnavaz Khan and Pooja were named the Best Emerging Athletes.
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Chopra's 2025 highlights included a career-best 90.23m javelin throw and the Neeraj Chopra Classic.

Deep Dive

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The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is the national governing body for athletics (track and field) in India.
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Neeraj Chopra is India's Olympic gold (Tokyo 2020) and silver (Paris 2024) medallist in javelin.
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Parul Chaudhary holds national records in the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m.

Exam Focus

Examiners may test the award (Best Male/Female Athlete), the winners (Neeraj Chopra, Parul Chaudhary), the organiser (AFI) and that it was the inaugural edition.

Exam Relevance & Angle

Sports awards and their winners — especially Neeraj Chopra — are frequent GA hooks across banking, SSC and railway exams; the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards add a fresh, testable fact.

Target Exams

SBI POIBPS POSSC CGLSSC CHSLRRB NTPCUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is the national governing body for athletics (track and field) in India, affiliated to World Athletics. The Indian Athletics Awards, launched in 2026, is its annual ceremony recognising the country's best track-and-field athletes. Neeraj Chopra, India's star javelin thrower, won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver at Paris 2024, and became the first Indian to cross the 90m mark. Parul Chaudhary is a leading Indian middle- and long-distance runner and steeplechaser who has set national records and won Asian Games medals.