Neeraj Chopra and Parul Chaudhary were named Best Male and Female Athletes at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards, while P.T. Usha and Anju Bobby George received Lifetime Achievement honours.
The first day of the 64th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships saw records tumble in the women's 5000m and in men's pole vault as the event got underway on a positive note at Jawaharlal Stadium here on Wednesday.
While javelin star Neeraj Chopra stole the limelight with his magical throw, another athlete posted a landmark performance to remind the fans that the other members of the Indian contingent at the prestigious Doha Diamond League 2025 are no pushovers either.
President Draupadi Murmu conferred the award on Mohd Shami and Parul Chaudhary, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, at a formal ceremony in New Delhi.
Besides the two Gold, Indian track and field stars also bagged Two Silver and an equal number of bronzes.
Avinash bettered his own national record by clocking 13:19.30, more than a six-second improvement from his previous time of 13:25:65.
It was an easy win for Parul who hardly strayed away from the lead role in the pack, though Sanjivani -- the 2019 champion who was looking to defend her title -- kept pace with her until the pack entered the Kanteerava stadium for the final stretch.
