TOISA 2023 HONORS INDIA’S ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE WITH A NIGHT OF TRIUMPH

LUCKNOW— The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2023 unfolded in a grand celebration of India’s athletic prowess at a glittering ceremony in Lucknow on Friday. The event paid homage to outstanding performances and remarkable achievements across various sports, showcasing the nation’s rich sporting tapestry and setting the stage for continued success on the global stage.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced that the state’s first sports university will be established in Meerut, emphasizing the resurgence of the “culture of sports” in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) in Lucknow, the CM expressed gratitude to the Times Group for selecting UP as the venue for the event and conferring the ‘changemaker of the year’ award on the state.

Adityanath, the chief guest of the event, felicitated sports achievers across 23 regular sports and 10 para sports categories, acknowledging individual brilliance and team triumphs. “In the last 10 years, the culture of sports has witnessed a significant revival … PM Modi’s initiatives such as Khelo India Khelo and Fit India Movement have ignited a renewed interest in sports,” he said, highlighting that sports has become a platform for athletes to showcase their own and the nation’s strength and determination.

The CM noted that the state government’s investments in sports infrastructure and support for athletes are yielding positive results. “UP, with only 16% of India’s population, contributed to 25% of all medals won by the country in the Asian Games.”

Reigning world champion in men’s javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra, emerged as the night’s big winner, securing both the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ and ‘Athlete of the Year’ awards for his exceptional triumphs at the Budapest World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games.

In the para-sports category, Sumit Antil and Sheetal Devi were jointly honored as the ‘Para Sportspersons of the Year’ for their exceptional feats in javelin throw and para-archery. Antil’s historic gold at the Para World Athletics Championships and Devi’s groundbreaking performances at the Para World Archery Championships and Asian Games earned them widespread acclaim.

Legendary track and field athlete PT Usha received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for her illustrious career, dominating the track with four gold and seven silver medals at the Asian Games.

The TOISA 2023 ceremony recognized excellence across various sports. Notable awardees include:

• Archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha

• Badminton stalwarts Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu

• Cricketing prowess of Mohammed Shami and Deepti Sharma

• Chess prodigies R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali

• The Indian Men’s 4x400m relay team

Para-sports received significant attention with ten award categories, including recognition for shooters Avani Lekhara and Rudransh Khandelwal, and Bhavinaben Patel named ‘Para-Table Tennis Player of the Year.’

The event also celebrated emerging talents, with archer Aditi Gopichand Swami and shooter Esha Singh sharing the ‘Emerging Sportsperson of the Year’ award.

The TOISA 2023 ceremony underscored the depth of talent and the spirit of excellence that permeates Indian sports, setting the stage for continued success and achievements on the global stage.

For a complete list of award winners, please see below.

SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Neeraj Chopra

PARA SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Sumit Antil & Sheetal Devi

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Indian Men’s 4x400m relay team (Amoj Jacob, Mijo Chacko, Mohd. Anas, Mohd. Ajmal, Nihal Joel, Rajesh Ramesh)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Deepali Deshpande

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: PT Usha

Here is the full list of award winners for TOISA 2023:

SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Neeraj Chopra

PARA SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Sumit Antil & Sheetal Devi

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Indian Men’s 4x400m relay team (Amoj Jacob, Mijo Chacko, Mohd. Anas, Mohd. Ajmal, Nihal Joel, Rajesh Ramesh)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Deepali Deshpande

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: PT Usha

ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Male): Ojas Pravin Deotale

ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Female): Jyoti Surekha Vennam

PARA ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rakesh Kumar

PARA ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Female): Sheetal Devi

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Male): Neeraj Chopra

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Female): Parul Chaudhary

PARA ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Sachin Khilari

BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male – Singles): HS Prannoy

BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female – Singles): PV Sindhu

BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male – Doubles): Chirag Shetty & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy

BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female – Doubles): Gayatri Gopichand & Treesa Jolly

PARA BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Nitesh Kumar

PARA BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Murugesan Thulasimathi

BILLIARDS/SNOOKER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Pankaj Advani

BOXER OF THE YEAR (Male): Mohammad Hussamuddin

BOXER OF THE YEAR (Female): Lovlina Borgohain

CHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): R Praggnanandhaa

CHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): R Vaishali

PARA CHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Darpan Inani

CRICKETER OF THE YEAR (Male): Mohammed Shami

CRICKETER OF THE YEAR (Female): Deepti Sharma

EQUESTRIAN RIDER OF THE YEAR: Anush Agarwalla/Hriday Chheda/Divyakriti Singh/Sudipti Hajela

FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR (Male): Sunil Chhetri

FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR (Female): Anju Tamang

HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Hardik Singh

HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Salima Tete

KABBADI PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Pawan Sehrawat

KABBADI PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Ritu Negi

PARA CANOEIST OF THE YEAR: Prachi Yadav

PARA JUDOKA OF THE YEAR: Kapil Parmar

PARA POWERLIFTER OF THE YEAR: Zainab Khatoon

ROWER OF THE YEAR: shish Kumar / Bheem Singh / Jaswinder Singh / Punit Kumar

SAILOR OF THE YEAR: Neha Thakur

SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rudrankksh Balasahed Patil

SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Female): Sift Kaur Samra

PARA SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rudransh Khandelwal

PARA SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Female): Avani Lekhara

SQUASH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Saurav Ghosal\

SQUASH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Dipika Pallikal

TABLE TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ayhika Mukherjee & Sutirtha Mukherjee

PARA TABLE TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bhavinaben Patel

TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rohan Bopanna

TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Rutuja Bhosale

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR (Male): Sunil Kumar

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR (Female): Antim Panghal

EMERGING SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Aditi Gopichand Swami & Esha Singh

CHANGEMAKER OF THE YEAR: Uttar Pradesh