Sumit Nagal and Anush Agarwalla among new entries to TOPS core list

India's top-ranked Tennis player Sumit Nagal has been included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) on Monday. Joining Nagal are para athletes Soman Rana (Men's shot put F57), Bhagyashri Jadhav (women's shot put F34), Rampal (women's 100m T12), Simran (women's 200m T12), and the 2024 Paris Olympic quota place winner Anush Agarwalla.

The TOPS scheme, launched in 2014 and revamped in April 2018, is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports aimed at supporting India's top athletes. With a focus on Olympic medal prospects, the programme provides assistance for training, international competitions, foreign training, equipment, coaching camps, and a monthly stipend of INR 50,000 for each athlete.

Nagal, who broke into the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time in February 2024, became the 10th Indian player to achieve this feat.

In January, Nagal beat world number 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets to enter the Australian Open second round for the first time in his career.

Nagal's win at the Australian Open was the first time in 35 years that an Indian beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam.

Anush Agarwalla, earlier this year, secured a historic quota place for India in dressage, marking India’s first Olympic quota in this discipline.

Soman Rana, a para-athlete from the Army Paralympic Node, has been selected for the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 in the seated shot put, F57 category. Rana, standing second in world rankings in his category, is a testament to India’s growing prowess in para-sports.

Bhagyashri Jadhav, a silver medalist in the Para Asian Games, also joins the ranks of athletes supported by the TOPS scheme.