Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Territorial Army
The appointment, according to The Gazette of India, a weekly public journal and an authorised legal document of the Government of India, came into effect on April 16.
'No 3 (E) dated 9th May 2025 in exercise of the powers conferred by Para -31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948, the president is pleased to confer on sEx- Sub Maj Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village & Post Office Khandra, Panipat, Haryana with effect from 16 April, 2025,' a statement from Major General GS Choudhry, Joint Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, read.
Neeraj, who was earlier enrolled as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army on August 26, 2016, was awarded the Arjuna Award two years later.
He received the Khel Ratna and Vishisht Seva Medal for his meritorious service before getting promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021.
Two years after being awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Force in 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major.
In 2022, the former World Champion was also named recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
The javelin thrower will start his season on Friday at the Doha Diamond League, following which he will compete at the 71st Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour (Silver Level) meet in Chorzow, Poland, on May 23.
He is also set to participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in the Czech Republic city on June 24, hoping to be third-time lucky after pulling out in the last two editions due to injuries.
He was originally set to be the face of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24 before it was indefinitely suspended due to India-Pakistan border tensions.
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