New Delhi,: Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was officially adorned with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Honororary) in a pipping ceremony held on Wednesday in New Delhi, marking another milestone in his illustrious career. The ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Upendra Dwivedi.
According to The Gazette of India, Neeraj’s honorary appointment took effect on April 16. He joined the Indian Army as a Junior Commissioned Officer (Naib Subedar) on August 26, 2016.
Over the years, Neeraj’s achievements have been widely recognised. He received the Arjuna Award in 2018 for his excellence in athletics, followed by the Khel Ratna Award in 2021. That same year, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar, and after his historic gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he was honoured with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022. Later that year, he was elevated to Subedar Major and conferred the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Recently, however, Chopra faced a rare setback. He finished eighth at the World Athletics Championships, managing a best throw of 84.03m — a result that ended his remarkable streak of 26 consecutive top-two finishes since 2021. His compatriot Sachin Yadav finished ahead of him in fourth place with a throw of 86.27m, narrowly missing out on a medal.
Reflecting on the result, Neeraj admitted he was surprised by his performance, citing back issues during the competition. “It’s part of life and sports,” he said philosophically. The last time the javelin star had finished outside the top three was at the 2018 Continental Cup in Czechia, where he placed sixth.
