THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Oct 22: Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army on Wednesday.
The ceremony, held in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi, began at 12 PM.
According to official documents published in the Gazette of India, his appointment is effective from April 16. Neeraj Chopra originally joined the Indian Army as a Junior Commissioned Officer at the rank of Naib Subedar on August 26, 2016.
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Two years later, he received the Arjuna Award for his exceptional performance in athletics, followed by the Khel Ratna Award in 2021. He went on to win the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Following this victory, the 27-year-old was conferred the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Indian Army’s highest peacetime honour, in 2022. In the same year, he was promoted to Subedar Major and was also awarded the Padma Shri for his achievements.
