‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank in Indian Army
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, October 22, 2025: India’s star javelin thrower and two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra has added another milestone to his illustrious career. In a ceremonial event held in New Delhi on Wednesday, Chopra was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army.
The pipping ceremony was graced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, with Neeraj appearing in his army uniform. According to the Gazette of India, the honorary rank has been effective from April 16, 2025.
Neeraj Chopra’s Journey in the Army
The 27-year-old Haryana native joined the Indian Army as a Junior Commissioned Officer on August 26, 2016, with the rank of Naib Subedar. Since then, he has progressed through the ranks:
- 2016: Joined as Naib Subedar.
- 2021: Promoted to Subedar.
- 2022: Elevated to Subedar Major.
- 2025: Conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Notably, Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was similarly awarded the honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank in the Territorial Army in 2011.
International Glory and National Honors
Neeraj Chopra has consistently brought glory to India on the global stage:
- Olympics: Gold at Tokyo 2020 and Silver at Paris 2024.
- National Awards:
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- 2018: Arjuna Award
- 2021: Khel Ratna Award
- 2022: Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) following Tokyo Gold
- 2022: Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award
Recent Performance Challenges
The honorary rank comes at a time when Neeraj’s current athletics season has been challenging. At the recent World Athletics Championship, he finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03 meters, falling short of defending his gold.