Legendary sprinter and Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha was on Saturday conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards ceremony here.

Former Asian Games gold-winning decathlete Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, former national team chief coach Bahadur Singh Chauhan and World Championships bronze medallist long jumper Anju Bobby George were the other recipients of the honour.

Speaking after receiving the award, Usha said she was pleasantly surprised by the recognition.

“I did not expect to win this award because I did not apply for this. Most of the time in India, you don’t get awards if you have not applied for it. This is a very good initiative from my Federation, the AFI,” she said.

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The awards were presented during the first edition of the Indian Athletics Awards, launched by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to recognise excellence and contributions to the sport.

The initiative seeks to honour athletes, coaches, technical officials, mentors, state associations and other stakeholders who have played a role in the growth of Indian athletics.

The inaugural awards feature 10 categories, including Best Athlete (Male and Female), Best Coach, Best Technical Official, Best State Association and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Usha is regarded as one of India’s greatest athletes, having won multiple medals at the Asian Games and represented the country at three Olympic Games. She currently serves as the president of the Indian Olympic Association.

Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal in the women’s long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

Randhawa, one of India’s pioneering track and field stars, won the decathlon gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, while Bahadur Singh Chauhan guided several generations of Indian athletes during his tenure as the national chief coach.

Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was honoured with the ‘Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025’ award.

Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Games and followed it up with a silver medal in Paris, said the honour held a special place in his heart as it came in the presence of athletes from different generations.

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“Yeh award dil ke nazdik hai (This award is very close to my heart). The old and new generation of athletes are here. I am very happy to have received the award in front of them,” said Chopra, who flew in from Doha earlier in the day to attend the ceremony.

Chopra had competed at the Doha Diamond League on Friday night, where the 28-year-old registered a best throw of 85.69m in his third attempt to finish fourth in his season-opening event.

The star javelin thrower has been recovering from a back injury sustained before the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025. The Doha event marked his return after an eighth-place finish at the World Championships. He has been training in Switzerland since May 25 following a rehabilitation stint in Turkiye.

However, Chopra comfortably crossed the 82.61m qualification mark set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Published on Jun 21, 2026