Neeraj Chopra Named Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025 at Indian Athletics Awards

Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was honoured with the ‘Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025’ award at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards ceremony held in New Delhi.

The event also celebrated several legends of Indian athletics, with PT Usha and Anju Bobby George among four sporting icons receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for their outstanding contributions to the sport.

Best Male Athlete of the 2025: Neeraj Chopra

Best Female Athlete of the Year: 2025

Best Coach of the Year: 2025

Life-time Achievement Athletics Award: PT Usha, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, Bahadur Singh Chauhan, Anju Bobby George

Best State Association of the Year: 2025

Best Technical Official of the Year: 2025

Best State Supporting Athletics

Organization supporting Athletics

Partner supporting Athletics

(The list will be updated)

India’s star javelin thrower saw his extraordinary run of consistency come to an end at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this year, where he finished 8th in the final with a best effort of 84.03m. It marked the first time in 26 consecutive competitions that he failed to finish in the top two, ending one of the most dominant streaks in modern athletics. The result also brought an end to his remarkable 33-event podium streak, which had started at the 2018 All India Inter-Services Championships and stood as one of the longest consistent runs in global track and field.

Despite the setback, his 2025 season remained highly competitive, highlighted by several strong performances across international events. He began the year with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, before securing second place at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he made history by breaching the 90-metre mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23m. The effort not only set a new national record but also made him only the 25th male javelin thrower in history to cross the milestone.

He later claimed victory at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru in July, further strengthening his position as the leading figure in Indian athletics. His campaign also included a runner-up finish at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland, followed by back-to-back wins at the Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike with throws of 88.16m and 85.29m respectively.

In August, he continued his strong form with a second-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, recording 85.01m and extending his streak of top-two finishes right up until the World Championships in Tokyo.