Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday was given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Army.

The rank was given with a pipping ceremony in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and COAS General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday, marking another significant milestone in his decorated career.




According to The Gazette of India, a weekly public journal and an authorised legal document of the Government of India (GoI), the appointment took effect on April 16. Chopra had joined the Indian Army in the rank of Naib Subedar on August 26, 2016.

Chopra was awarded the Arjuna Award for his exploits in athletics in 2017 later and then received the Khel Ratna award for his performances in the field of sports in 2021.

In the Army, Chopra was promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021. Following his historic gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the 27-year-old was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest peacetime honour of the Indian Army, in 2022.

Further, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major in 2022, and the Indian javelin throw ace also became a recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in the same year.

Chopra recently failed to defend his world title in javelin throw and finished in eighth spot with the best throw of 84.03 m in the World Athletics Championships, ending his 26-event streak of top two finishes.

His compatriot Sachin Yadav outclassed him with a fourth-place finish and fell short of a medal with the best throw of 86.27 m.