New Delhi, Oct 23: Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday conferred with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh describing him as an “epitome” of perseverance, and national pride.
Singh conferred the insignia of honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel to the star javelin thrower, serving in the Territorial Army, at a pipping ceremony in New Delhi that was also graced by Army Chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi and many other senior officials of the force.
Chopra joined the Indian Army as a Naib Subedar on August 26, 2016 and was promoted to Subedar in 2021 and Subedar Major in 2022.
Born on December 24, 1997 in Khandra village in Haryana’s Panipat, he created history by winning India’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in athletics in the men’s javelin throw competition at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Chopra continued his stellar performance by winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2023.
He has also secured multiple gold medals at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Diamond League events. His personal best throw of 90.23 metres (2025) stands as a milestone in Indian sporting history.