Neeraj Chopra Wins AFI Best Male Athlete Award and Secures Commonwealth Games Spot

India's javelin champion Neeraj Chopra was named the Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025 at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards in New Delhi. Accepting the honour, he said, "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." The ceremony also recognised steeple‑runner Parul Chaudhary as the Best Female Athlete and honored P. T. Usha with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

A day earlier, Chopra returned to competition at the Doha Diamond League, recording a best throw of 85.69 m to finish fourth. The performance met the Athletics Federation of India's 82.61 m qualifying standard for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, confirming his place despite the podium miss. He posted on X, "Happy to be back on the field. 85.69 m felt good, and ready for the season ahead!" Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage won the event with an 88.68 m throw.