New Delhi: Olympic gold medallist and honorary Lieutenant Colonel Neeraj Chopra will be honoured with a pipping ceremony on Wednesday at noon, marking yet another proud milestone in his illustrious career.
Chopra, a two-time Olympic medallist, was conferred with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Army, with the appointment taking effect from April 16, as per The Gazette of India, the official legal publication of the Government of India.
The star javelin thrower joined the Indian Army as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the rank of Naib Subedar on August 26, 2016. His meteoric rise continued as he received the Arjuna Award in 2018 and the Khel Ratna Award in 2021 for his exceptional achievements in athletics.
Following his historic gold medal triumph at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Neeraj was promoted to Subedar in 2021 and honoured with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 — the Indian Army’s highest peacetime decoration. The same year, he was elevated to Subedar Major and awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Recently, Chopra missed out on defending his World Athletics Championship title, finishing eighth with a best throw of 84.03m, ending his impressive 26-event streak of top-two finishes. His compatriot Sachin Yadav narrowly missed a podium finish, claiming fourth place with a throw of 86.27m.
