The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) returns for its eighth edition, celebrating the achievements and inspiring journeys of India’s finest athletes. The TOISA 2025 ceremony will be held on March 21, 2026, in Lucknow, bringing together the country’s top sporting icons and emerging stars.This edition will honour performances across more than 45 categories during the evaluation period from January 1 to December 31, 2025. It was a remarkable year for Indian sport, marked by standout performances at global and continental events.The landscape of para sports in India has improved leaps and bounds in recent years, with the country producing champions at major global showcase events such as the Paralympics and Para World Championships.TOISA 2025 will honour India’s para athletes in more than 10 award categories, including coaches.In line with India’s success in para sports, Uttar Pradesh has produced outstanding para athletes over the years. Riding on their strong performances in 2025, four para athletes and two para coaches from the state have been nominated for TOISA 2025 across various categories.Para sprinter Preethi Pal led Uttar Pradesh’s impressive year in para sports, earning nominations in both Para Athlete of the Year (Track and Field) and Para Sportsperson of the Year categories for her two medals at the World Para Athletics Championships.Other UP nominees for TOISA 2025 include Vivek Chikara (Archery), Vaibhav Gautam (Chess), Praveen Kumar (Athletics), Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton – Coach) and Dr Satyapal Singh (Para Athletics – Coach).Profiles of Uttar Pradesh athletes in the TOISA 2025 nominations:Para Archer of the YearVivek ChikaraDate of Birth: 12 January 1990Place of Birth: Meerut, Uttar PradeshSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Asian Para Archery Championships 2025 – Recurve Men’s Open Doubles silver (with Harvinder Singh)Vivek Chikara earned a silver medal alongside Harvinder Singh in the recurve men’s open doubles at the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, narrowly losing to the Chinese pair in a shoot-off. This was part of India’s strong overall medal showing at the continental event.Para Athlete of the YearPreethi Pal (Sprinter)Date of Birth: September 22, 2000Place of Birth: Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para Athletics (100m & 200m Sprint – T35 Classification)Major Achievements in 2025:World Para Athletics Championships (New Delhi): Silver (100m T35) and Bronze (200m T35)Set a new national record in the 100m T35 category – 14.21 seconds at the 23rd National Para Athletics Championship 2025Finished the 2025 season as World No. 2 in the T35 100m categoryIn 2025, Preethi Pal enjoyed a landmark season, reinforcing her status as one of India’s leading para sprinters. Serving as India’s flag bearer at the World Para Athletics Championships, she clinched silver in the 100m T35 and bronze in the 200m T35 on home soil. Earlier in the year, she was conferred with the Arjuna Award. She also set a new national record in the 100m T35 and finished the season ranked World No. 2 in the category.Praveen Kumar (High Jump)Date of Birth: May 15, 2003Place of Birth: Jewar (Govindgarh), Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para Athletics (High Jump)Major Achievements in 2025:World Para Athletics Championships (New Delhi): Bronze (High Jump T64 event)National Para Athletics Championship: GoldIn 2025, Praveen Kumar strengthened his stature with notable achievements. He was conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in January, recognising his Paralympic success. Later, he won bronze in the high jump T64 at the World Para Athletics Championships and claimed gold at the National Para Athletics Championship.Para Chess Player of the YearVaibhav GautamDate of Birth: November 1, 2002Place of Birth: Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para ChessMajor Achievements in 2025:World Championship: SilverVaibhav Gautam achieved a major milestone in 2025 by winning silver in the men’s wheelchair category at the 24th World IPCA Individual Chess Championship in Goa. His podium finish marked a breakthrough year and established him among the top competitors globally in his category.Para Sportsperson of the YearPreethi Pal (Sprinter)Date of Birth: September 22, 2000Place of Birth: Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para Athletics (100m & 200m Sprint – T35 Classification)Major Achievements in 2025:World Para Athletics Championships (New Delhi): Silver (100m T35) and Bronze (200m T35)Set a new national record in the 100m T35 category – 14.21 seconds at the 23rd National Para Athletics Championship 2025Finished the 2025 season as World No. 2 in the T35 100m categoryIn 2025, Preethi Pal enjoyed a landmark season, reinforcing her status as one of India’s leading para sprinters. Serving as India’s flag bearer at the World Para Athletics Championships, she clinched silver in the 100m T35 and bronze in the 200m T35 on home soil. Earlier in the year, she was conferred with the Arjuna Award. She also set a new national record in the 100m T35 and finished the season ranked World No. 2 in the category.Para Coach of the YearGaurav Khanna (Para Badminton)Date of Birth: December 11, 1975Place of Birth: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para Badminton (Head National Coach)Major Achievements in 2025Under his leadership, the Indian para badminton team crossed 1,000 international medals. He guided the team to 23 medals at the Bahrain Para Badminton International 2025 and oversaw strong performances in Thailand and Dubai events. He also launched a grassroots coaching programme and helped strengthen the domestic talent pipeline.Dr Satyapal Singh (Para Athletics)Date of Birth: January 1, 1978Place of Birth: Village Machhli, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para Athletics (Dronacharya & Padma Shri awardee coach)Major Achievements in 2025Dr Satyapal Singh continued his influential role in Indian para athletics. His trainee Praveen Kumar was honoured with the Khel Ratna Award. He played a key role in India’s success at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi and continued as Chief Coach of the Paralympic Committee of India, overseeing a strong medal haul across international events.
