A day after he kicked off his season following a nine-month long hiatus, Neeraj Chopra was the centre of attention as the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards brought together some of the biggest names in Indian track and field, both past and present, here on Saturday night.

Neeraj, not surprisingly, was also named the Athletics Federation of India’s Athlete of the Year 2025 along with National record holder in both the 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m, Parul Chaudhary.

He was also the most in demand among the guests that included fellow javelin throwers Sachin Yadav and Rohit Yadav, latest 400m sensation T.K. Vishal, sprinter Gurindervir Singh, middle-distance runner Gulvir Singh, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and track stars Jyothi Yarraji and Hima Das among others.

“When I started javelin, I used to watch Jan Zelezny’s videos without even knowing who he was. All I knew was he was the World record holder and I wondered if I could ever throw like him. Now I am trying to get close to what he did, the 90m mark is done, hope to do better,” Neeraj said.

Asked about his advice to the youngsters coming up, Neeraj had a simple message: say grounded, stay patient. “Keep doing your hard work, try and avoid injuries, listen to your team, your body and keep belief in yourself. Don’t be in a hurry to get success; you have your whole career ahead. Indians think Europeans or Americans are stronger but I believe we have the capability to do anything. Just do your thing and the rest will fall in place,” he added.

IOA president P.T. Usha was among the four recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award along with long jumper and AFI senior vice-president Anju Bobby George, former selection committee chairman and Asian Games gold medallist G.S. Randhawa and former chief coach Bahadur Singh Chauhan.

The awardees: Athlete of the Year (women): Parul Chaudhary; Athlete of the Year (men): Neeraj Chopra; Emerging Athlete (women): Pooja (high jump); Emerging Athlete (men): Shahnavaz Khan (long jump); Best Coach: Parvir Singh (throws); Best Sponsor: Reliance Foundation; Lifetime achievement: P.T. Usha, G.S. Randhawa, Bahadur Singh Chauhan, Anju Bobby George; Best State for supporting athletes: Odisha; Best State association: Tamil Nadu; Best technical official: Dr. Kuldeep Singh.