The eighth edition of The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) will be held on March 21, 2026 in Lucknow, celebrating the inspiring journeys and achievements of India’s best sportspersons across multiple disciplines. TOISA 2025 will recognize performances from 1 January to 31 December 2025, highlighting standout displays at world championships and major international events. Comprised of more than 45 award categories, the event honors both stars and emerging talents who have made the nation proud with extraordinary performances.The winners will be selected by an esteemed jury that includes Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, hockey legend PR Srijesh, batting great Mithali Raj, Paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia, table tennis stalwart Sharath Leanders Paulsons Kamal. Their collective expertise ensures a credible and balanced assessment of excellence across the Indian game.The shooting nominees for TOISA 2025 reflect India’s considerable depth in the sport, with several athletes producing world-class medal-winning performances. Among the men, Samrat Rana created history with gold at the ISSF World Championships, while Ravinder Singh also became the world champion in the 50m pistol. Ishwari Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish Bhanwala impressed with podium finishes at the World Championships and World Cup finals, while Varun Tomar and Rudrankish Patil added major World Cup and Championship medals.In the women’s category, teenage sensation Saruchi Inder Singh enjoyed a stellar year with multiple World Cup gold medals. Simranpreet Kaur won gold in the ISSF World Cup final, while Isha Singh showed her versatility with medals in two pistol events. Elavenil Valarivan and Sift Kaur Samra also enjoyed stellar seasons, while Olympic medalist Manu Bhakar maintained her consistency with multiple podium finishes at major events.Shooting – MaleSamrat RanaDate of Birth: 8 January 2005Place of Birth: Karnal, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m air pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individual), Gold (Team) and Silver (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Final: Bronze (Individual)Youngster Sumrit Rana created history last year by becoming India’s first world champion in his event, 10m Air Pistol, marking a major breakthrough in his career. The former junior world champion produced a sensational performance at the ISSF World Championships 2025, where he emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest stars with three medals. Rana won a gold medal in the individual event followed by another gold medal in the team event. She also won a silver medal in the mixed team event with Isha Singh.With this impressive performance, Rana became only the third Indian shooting world champion, joining an elite list that includes Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and world champion Rudrankish Patil. The 21-year-old continued to shine at the end of the season, adding a bronze medal at the Doha World Cup Final, ensuring that the year will go down as one of the most memorable and important stages of his fast-growing shooting journey.Ravinder SinghDate of Birth: 17 October 1996Place of Birth: Bishna, Jammu and KashmirSports: Shooting (50m Pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Individual), Silver (Team)Asian Championship: Silver (Team)Indian Army Naik Subedar Ravinder Singh, 29, achieved the biggest success of his shooting career by winning gold in the 50m pistol, a non-Olympic discipline, at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo. Hailing from Bishna in Jammu and Kashmir, he produced a composed, high-quality performance to reach the podium against a strong international field. He also achieved a team silver, capping a remarkable and highly successful year.Aishwarya Pratap Singh TomarDate of Birth: 3 February 2001Place of Birth: Khargaon, Madhya PradeshSports: Shooting (50m rifle 3 positions)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Individual)ISSF World Cup Final: Silver (Individual)Asian Championship: Gold (Individual), Silver (Team)Two-time Olympian Ishwari Pratap Singh Tomar scored last year with podium finishes at the ISSF World Championships and ISSF World Cup Finals. The 50m rifle 3 positions specialist claimed an individual silver in Cairo and followed that up with another silver in Doha. She also won the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, where she won an individual gold and a team silver to complete an impressive season.Anish BhanwalaDate of Birth: 26 September 2002Place of Birth: Sonepat, HaryanaSports: Shooting (25 meter rapid fire pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Individual)ISSF World Cup Final: Silver (Individual)Asian Championship: Silver (Individual), Silver (Team)Young pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala won his second career medal at the ISSF World Championships last year, bagging an individual silver medal in Cairo. He won another individual silver medal at the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha. It turned out to be a rewarding year for the 23-year-old, who also won two silver medals, one each in the individual and team events, at the Asian Shooting Championships.Varun TomarDate of Birth: 8 September 2003Place of Birth: Baghpat, Uttar PradeshSports: Shooting (10m air pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Gold (Team), Bronze (Individual)Young pistol shooter Varun Tomar, who took up the sport after being inspired by his Olympian cousin Saurabh ChaudharyWon two medals at the ISSF World Championships. He won bronze in the individual event, won by teammate Samrat Rana, and team gold along with Samrat and Shiron Kumar. He also claimed team gold and individual bronze at the 2022 Junior World Championships three years ago.Rudrankash PatilDate of Birth: 16 December 2003Place of Birth: Thane, MaharashtraSports: Shooting (10 meter air rifle)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Cup Buenos Aires: Gold (Individual), Silver (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Lima: Silver (Mixed Team)Asian Championship: Gold (Team)Young 22-year-old rifle shooter Rudrankish Patil enjoyed a very successful 2025 season, winning multiple World Cup medals. He started the year with an individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Argentina and also won a mixed team silver with Arya Borse at the same tournament. The pair won another mixed team silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Peru, taking their tally to three World Cup medals for the year. Patil also clinched the team gold medal at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan with a productive and impressive season.Shooting – FemaleSaruchi Inder SinghDate of Birth: 28 April 2006Place of Birth: Jhajjar, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m air pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (Team)ISSF World Cup Final: Gold (Individual)ISSF World Cup Buenos Aires: Gold (Individual), Bronze (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Lima: Gold (Individual), Gold (Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Munich: Gold (Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (Team), Bronze (Mixed Team)2025 was a breakthrough year for teenage shooter Saruchi Singh. The 19-year-old rose to prominence after winning five gold medals at the ISSF World Cup stages. He opened with an individual gold at the ISSF World Cup in Argentina, where he also claimed a mixed team bronze. He followed that with a double gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Peru followed by the individual title and the mixed team gold with Saurabh Chaudhary. Saruchi then won another individual gold at the ISSF World Cup in Germany before winning her fifth gold medal at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. He also added a team silver at the ISSF World Championships and won two bronze medals at the Asian Championships to complete an impressive season. Simran Preet KaurDate of Birth: 2 October 2004Place of Birth: Faridkot, PunjabSports: Shooting (25 Meter Pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Cup Final: Gold (Individual)ISSF World Cup Lima: Silver (Individual)Asian Championship: Bronze (Team)Young pistol shooter Simranpreet Kaur made 2025 a memorable year by winning the gold medal at the prestigious ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. He took the title with a new junior world record of 41 out of 50. Earlier in the season, he won his first senior international medal – an individual silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Peru. He also added a team bronze medal at the Asian Shooting Championships, capping off a stellar year.Isha SinghDate of Birth: 1st January 2005Place of Birth: Hyderabad, TelanganaSports: Shooting (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Bronze (25m Pistol – Individual), Silver (10m Air Pistol – Team), Silver (10m Air Pistol – Mixed Team)ISSF World Cup Buenos Aires: Silver (25m Pistol – Individual)ISSF World Cup Ningbo: Gold (10m Air Pistol – Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (25m Pistol – Team)Young pistol shooter Esha Singh had a stellar 2025, winning multiple medals at major events in both her events — 10m air pistol and 25m pistol. The 21-year-old won three medals at the ISSF World Championships, an individual bronze in the 25m pistol and two silvers in the 10m air pistol (team and mixed team), an impressive feat for the youngster. He also won an individual gold in the 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Cup in China earlier in the season and an individual silver in the 25m pistol at the ISSF World Cup in Argentina. He also added a team bronze medal in the 25m pistol at the Asian Shooting Championships, making it a real breakthrough year with success in both disciplines.Elavinal ValarivanDate of Birth: 2 August 1999Place of Birth: Cuddalore, Tamil NaduSports: Shooting (10 meter air rifle)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Bronze (Individual), Bronze (Team)ISSF World Cup Munich: Bronze (Individual)Asian Championship: Gold (Individual), Gold (Mixed Team), Bronze (Team)Two-time Olympian Elavinal Valarion won two bronze medals at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo, taking her total to three bronzes at the event after her team’s podium finish in 2022. The rifle shooter also won an individual bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup during the season. He also enjoyed an outstanding continental campaign, winning two gold medals (individual and mixed team) and a team bronze at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, capping a highly successful year.Safety Cover SamraDate of Birth: 9 September 2001Place of Birth: Faridkot, PunjabSports: Shooting (50m rifle 3 positions)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Cup Buenos Aires: Gold (Individuals)ISSF World Cup Munich: Bronze (Individual)Asian Championship: Gold (Individual), Gold (Team)Safeguard Samra has made a name for itself in one of the toughest events in the shooting sports, the 50m Rifle 3 Positions. He won his first individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup last year, which was a major milestone in his career. He then added another individual World Cup medal, winning bronze at the ISSF World Cup in Germany. Seift also enjoyed a dominant run at the Asian Shooting Championships, winning two gold medals with top-of-the-podium finishes in both the individual and team events in Kazakhstan.I beg youDate of Birth: 18 February 2002Place of Birth: Goriya, HaryanaSports: Shooting (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol)Key achievements in 2025:ISSF World Championships: Silver (10m Air Pistol – Team)ISSF World Cup Lima: Silver (10m Air Pistol – Individual)Asian Championships: Bronze (10m Air Pistol – Individual), Bronze (10m Air Pistol – Team), Bronze (25m Pistol – Team)Paris Olympics double medalist Manu Bhakar had a solid 2025 season despite missing out on gold in major events. He took team silver at the ISSF World Championships and followed it up with an individual silver at the ISSF World Cup. Manu also won the Asian Shooting Championships, winning three medals — one individual bronze and two team bronzes — for a consecutive year of success.
