TOISA 2025: Para archery nominees reflect India's rise in the sport

The eighth edition of the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) will be held on March 21, 2026, in Lucknow, celebrating the achievements and inspiring journeys of India’s top athletes across various sports.TOISA 2025 will honour performances from January 1 to December 31, 2025, recognising standout moments from global championships and international tournaments.More than 45 categories will acknowledge both sporting icons and emerging talents who brought pride to the country. Winners will be chosen by a distinguished jury of sporting legends, including Abhinav Bindra, PR Sreejesh, Mithali Raj, Devendra Jhajharia, Sharath Kamal, and Leander Paes, ensuring credible recognition of excellence in Indian sport.

Here are the Para Archery players nominated for TOISA 2025:

Para Archery (Male)

Name: Harvinder SinghDate of Birth: 25 February 1991Place of Birth: Kaithal, Haryana, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Padma Shri award, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour• Asian Para Archery Championships 2025 – Individual Recurve Men’s Open gold• Asian Para Archery Championships 2025 – Recurve Open Mixed Team gold• Asian Para Archery Championships 2025 – Recurve Men’s Open Doubles silver (with Vivek Chikara)Harvinder Singh was conferred the Padma Shri in 2025 by the Government of India for his contributions to para archery and sport.

At the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, he won the individual recurve men’s open gold and a mixed team gold with Bhawna, setting a personal best and competition record in qualifying. He and Vivek Chikara also earned a silver medal in the recurve men’s open doubles event. His performances helped India finish second overall in the medal standings at the championships.Name: Vivek ChikaraDate of Birth: 12 January 1990Place of Birth: Not publicly availableSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Asian Para Archery Championships 2025 – Recurve Men’s Open Doubles silver (with Harvinder Singh)Vivek Chikara earned a silver medal alongside Harvinder Singh in the recurve men’s open doubles at the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, narrowly losing to the Chinese pair in a shoot-off.

This was part of India’s overall strong medal showing at the continental event.Name: Rakesh KumarDate of Birth: 13 January 1985Place of Birth: Katra, Jammu & Kashmir, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Compound Men’s Open Doubles at Asian Para Archery Championships: Silver (with Shyam Sunder Swami)• Compound Mixed Team Open at Asian Para Archery Championships: Silver medal (with Jyoti)• Men’s Compound Open at Para-Archery Asia Cup: Bronze medalAt the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, Rakesh Kumar and partner Shyam Sunder Swami won silver in the compound men’s open doubles, losing by a single point to the Chinese team.

Kumar also secured a silver in the compound mixed team open event with Jyoti. Earlier in the 2025 Para-Archery Asia Cup in Thailand, he claimed a bronze medal in the men’s compound open individual event.Name: Shyam Sunder SwamiDate of Birth: Not publicly availablePlace of Birth: Bikaner, Rajasthan, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Compound Men’s Open Doubles at Asian Para Archery Championships: Silver medal (with Rakesh Kumar)Shyam Sunder Swami partnered with Rakesh Kumar to win the silver medal in the compound men’s open doubles event at the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, where the Indian pair finished just behind the Chinese team in a tightly contested final.----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Para Archery (Female)

Name: Sheetal DeviDate of Birth: 10 January 2007Place of Birth: Loidhar, Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Para World Archery Championship (Women’s Compound Individual): Gold Medal• World Archery Para Championships (Women’s Compound Open Team): Silver Medal• World Archery Para Championships (Compound Mixed Team Open): Bronze Medal• Khelo India Para Games (Women’s Compound Open): Gold MedalSheetal Devi became the women’s compound open world champion at the 2025 World Archery Para Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, defeating Turkey’s Oznur Cure Girdi in the final to win gold.

She also earned a silver medal in the women’s compound open team event and a bronze in the mixed team event at the same championships. Earlier in the year, she defended her title in the women’s compound open category at the Khelo India Para Games 2025.

Sheetal’s series of podium finishes highlighted her status as a leading para-archer for India in 2025.Name: Payal NagDate of Birth: Not publicly availablePlace of Birth: Jamunabahal, Balangir district, Odisha, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Khelo India Para Games (Women’s Compound Open): Silver Medal• 6th National Para Archery Championship: Two Gold medalsPayal Nag won the silver medal in the women’s compound open event at the Khelo India Para Games 2025 after competing strongly against her peers.

She also secured two gold medals at the 6th National Para Archery Championship in January 2025, becoming a standout performer at the national level. In December 2025, she made her international debut at the Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai, finishing fourth in the compound women’s ranking round, a step forward in her international career.Name: Jyoti BaliyanDate of Birth: 15 April 1994Place of Birth: Goela village, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSport: Para ArcheryMajor Achievements in 2025:• Khelo India Para Games (Women’s Compound Open): Bronze medalJyoti Baliyan won the bronze medal in the women’s compound open event at the Khelo India Para Games 2025, adding to her long career in para archery. Her podium finish at the national para games continued her role as a key competitor in India’s para-archery landscape.