Table of Contents
Introduction
TOISA The Times of India Sports Awards 2023, presented on Friday in Lucknow, recognised Indian athletes’ outstanding efforts and achievements in a variety of categories. The event celebrated the nation’s rich athletic tapestry, from historic successes to budding potential.
Highlights and details of TOISA 2023
Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion in men’s javelin throw, was the night’s main winner, taking home both the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ and ‘Athlete of the Year’ accolades for his spectacular victories at the Budapest World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games.
Legendary Indian captain and bowler Bishan Singh Bedi, who represented India in Test cricket from 1966 to 1979, received the lifetime achievement award. He played 67 matches and took 266 wickets.
Among the aforementioned prominent names, boxer Lovlina and lifter Mirabai led India’s women’s power at the Tokyo Olympics, capturing bronze and silver medals, respectively. Ravi Dahiya’s prominence as the next great thing in Indian wrestling resulted in a silver medal at the Olympics.
Sunil Chhetri, India’s football icon, comfortably won the TOISA Male Footballer of the Year title. He is the third-highest international target scorer among active players, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Legendary field and track athlete PT Usha received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in appreciation of her stellar career, which included four gold and seven silver medals at the Asian Games.
Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha have been designated ‘Archer of the Year’ in the male and female categories, respectively, whilst Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi were honored as ‘Para Archer of the Year.’
Badminton legends Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu, among others were honored for their remarkable achievements to the sport. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were awarded ‘Doubles Players of the Year,’ whilst HS Prannoy won ‘Singles Player of the Year’. Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly received the title of ‘Doubles Players of the Year’ in the female category, with PV Sindhu winning ‘Singles Player of the Year’.
Cricketing talent was also recognised, with Mohammed Shami and Deepti Sharma winning the male and female ‘Cricketer of the Year’ awards.
Mohammed Shaami receives the recognition, making the Nation proud
In chess, the siblings R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali achieved history by winning the ‘Chess Player of the Year’ titles in their respective divisions.
The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team, which set an Asian record at the World Athletics Championships and won gold in the Asian Games, was voted ‘Team of the Year.’
Para-sports got major attention, with 10 honour categories, including accolades for snipers Avani Lekhara and Rudransh Khandelwal, while Bhavinaben Patel was awarded ‘Para-Table Tennis Player of the Year.’
The ceremony also recognised budding talent, with archery Aditi Gopichand Swami and shot Esha Singh receiving the ‘budding Sportsperson of the Year’ title.
The TOISA 2023 ceremony highlighted an array of ability and the culture of excellence that pervades Indian sports, paving the way for continuing success and accomplishments on a worldwide scale.
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: Ashish Kumar / Bheem Singh / Jaswinder Singh / Punit Kumar
SAILOR OF THE YEAR: Neha Thakur
SHOOTER OF THE YEAR (Male): Rudrankksh 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
TOISA Special Recognition
Watch the full event here
Neeraj Chopra Aces the Award Night
