Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary rank of Lt Col in Territorial Army 

Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has been conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, according to a government notification.

The notification was issued on May 13 by the Ministry of Defence's Department of Military Affairs.

The 27-year-old ace javelin thrower, hailing from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana, had won the gold medal in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He bagged a silver medal in 2024 Paris Olympics.

Chopra was a subedar major in the Army. He was slated to retire this year, it is learnt.

"...in exercise of the powers conferred by Para 31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948, the President is pleased to confer Honorary Rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Territorial Army on Ex-Sub Maj Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village & Post Office Khandra, Panipat, Haryana with effect from 16 April, 2025," the notification said.

Chopra is the reigning world champion, having won gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.