TOISA 2023: Neeraj Chopra, Mohammed Shami, Sheetal Devi headline the list of winners

LUCKNOW: In a glittering ceremony held in Lucknow on Friday, the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2023, powered by Government of Uttar Pradesh, celebrated the stellar performances and achievements of Indian athletes across various disciplines. From historic victories to emerging talents, the event showcased the nation's rich sporting tapestry.Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion in men's javelin throw, emerged as the night's big winner, clinching both the 'Sportsperson of the Year' and 'Athlete of the Year' awards for his remarkable triumphs at the Budapest World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games.TOISA 2023: As it happened In the para-sports category, Sumit Antil and Sheetal Devi were jointly honored as the 'Para Sportsperson of the Year' for their exceptional feats in javelin throw and para-archery respectively. Their achievements, including 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 was bestowed with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in recognition of her illustrious career, which saw her dominate the track with four gold and seven silver medals at the Asian Games.Archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha were named 'Archer of the Year' in the male and female categories respectively, while Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi were honored as the 'Para Archer of the Year.'Badminton stalwarts Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, HS Prannoy, PV Sidhu, and others received accolades for their outstanding contributions to the sport. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were named 'Doubles Players of the Year,' while HS Prannoy claimed the 'Singles Player of the Year' award. In the female category, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly were honored as 'Doubles Players of the Year', while PV Sindhu bagged 'Singles Player of the Year'.Cricketing prowess was also recognized, with Mohammed Shami and Deepti Sharma earning the titles of 'Cricketer of the Year' in the male and female categories respectively. In chess, siblings R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali made history by winning the 'Chess Player of the Year' awards in their respective categories.The Indian men's 4x400m relay team, which shattered the Asian record at the World Athletics Championships and secured gold at the Asian Games, was named the 'Team of the Year.'Para-sports received significant attention with ten award categories, including recognition for shooters Avani Lekhara and Rudransh Khandelwal, and Bhavinaben Patel was named the 'Para-Table Tennis Player of the Year.'The event also honored 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.Here is the full list of award winners for TOISA 2023 (Merchandise partner: Yonex Sunrise || Associate partner: Truefitt & Hill):SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Neeraj ChopraPARA SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Sumit Antil & Sheetal DeviTEAM 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 DeshpandeLIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: PT UshaARCHER OF THE YEAR (Male): Ojas Pravin DeotaleARCHER OF THE YEAR (Female): Jyoti Surekha VennamPARA ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rakesh KumarPARA ARCHER OF THE YEAR (Female): Sheetal DeviATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Male): Neeraj ChopraATHLETE OF THE YEAR (Female): Parul ChaudharyPARA ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Sachin KhilariBADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male - Singles): HS PrannoyBADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female - Singles): PV SindhuBADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male - Doubles): Chirag Shetty & Satwiksairaj RankireddyBADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female - Doubles): Gayatri Gopichand & Treesa JollyPARA BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Nitesh KumarPARA BADMINTON PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Murugesan ThulasimathiBILLIARDS/SNOOKER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Pankaj AdvaniBOXER OF THE YEAR (Male): Mohammad HussamuddinBOXER OF THE YEAR (Female): Lovlina BorgohainCHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): R PraggnanandhaaCHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): R VaishaliPARA CHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Darpan InaniCRICKETER OF THE YEAR (Male): Mohammed ShamiCRICKETER OF THE YEAR (Female): Deepti SharmaEQUESTRIAN RIDER OF THE YEAR: Anush Agarwalla/Hriday Chheda/Divyakriti Singh/Sudipti HajelaFOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR (Male): Sunil ChhetriFOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR (Female): Anju TamangHOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Hardik SinghHOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Salima TeteKABBADI PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Pawan SehrawatKABBADI PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Ritu NegiPARA CANOEIST OF THE YEAR: Prachi YadavPARA JUDOKA OF THE YEAR: Kapil ParmarPARA POWERLIFTER OF THE YEAR: Zainab KhatoonROWER OF THE YEAR: Ashish Kumar / Bheem Singh / Jaswinder Singh / Punit KumarSAILOR OF THE YEAR: Neha ThakurSHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rudrankksh PatilSHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Female): Sift Kaur SamraPARA SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rudransh KhandelwalPARA SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Female): Avani LekharaSQUASH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Saurav GhosalSQUASH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Dipika PallikalTABLE TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ayhika Mukherjee & Sutirtha MukherjeePARA TABLE TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bhavinaben PatelTENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rohan BopannaTENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Female): Rutuja BhosaleWRESTLER OF THE YEAR (Male): Sunil KumarWRESTLER OF THE YEAR (Female): Antim PanghalEMERGING SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Aditi Gopichand Swami & Esha SinghFEDERATION OF THE YEAR: ShootingCHANGEMAKER OF THE YEAR: Uttar Pradesh