The pipping ceremony of Olympic gold medallist and Lt. Colonel (Honorary) Neeraj Chopra was held on Wednesday in New Delhi.
New Delhi: Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, in a ceremony held in New Delhi. The event was attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi. The appointment, as per The Gazette of India, took effect from April 16.
Neeraj Chopra’s association with the Indian Army began on August 26, 2016, when he joined as a Naib Subedar, a junior commissioned officer rank. His sporting achievements have since brought him several accolades, including the Arjuna Award (2018), the Khel Ratna Award (2021), and the Padma Shri (2022). He was promoted to Subedar in 2021 and later to Subedar Major in 2022. Following his historic Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal, the Indian Army also honored him with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.
Despite his decorated career, Chopra recently faced a rare setback, finishing eighth at the World Athletics Championships with a best throw of 84.03m, ending his streak of 26 consecutive top-two finishes since the 2021 Kuortane Games. His compatriot, Sachin Yadav, narrowly missed the podium with a throw of 86.27m, finishing fourth.
Chopra admitted that back problems affected his performance but remained philosophical, noting that ups and downs are part of life and sports. The last time he had finished outside the top three in an international competition was in 2018, at the Continental Cup in Czechia, where he had finished sixth.
The honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank recognizes both Chopra’s sporting excellence and his ongoing contribution to the Indian Army, adding yet another milestone to the career of India’s celebrated javelin thrower.
