Neeraj Chopra awarded Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025

Neeraj Chopra was named Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025 at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards held on Saturday, June 20. It marked another recognition for the Olympic gold medallist at a ceremony in India that celebrated achievements across multiple categories in the sport.

The awards, launched by the Athletics Federation of India, were organised to recognise contributions from athletes, coaches, technical officials, mentors and state associations. The event featured 10 categories, including Best Female Athlete, Best Coach, Best Technical Official, Best State Association and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Notably, the honour came shortly after Neeraj’s return to competition at the Doha



Diamond League on Friday night. The 28-year-old registered a best throw of 85.69m in his third attempt, finishing fourth in his first event of the season as he was dealing with a back injury. 

According to reports, he was managing the injury that affected his preparation ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025. After a rehabilitation stint in Turkiye, Neeraj resumed training in Switzerland on May 25 before returning to competitive action in Doha.

Now, despite the setback, Neeraj met the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard of 82.61 metres for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. With his second throw in Doha, the Javelinist confirmed his eligibility for the event.