The pipping ceremony of Olympic gold medallist and Lt. Colonel (Honorary) Neeraj Chopra was held on Wednesday in New Delhi, marking another significant milestone in his decorated career.
The pipping ceremony was attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Army Chief (CoAS) General Upendra Dwivedi.
According to The Gazette of India, the appointment took effect on April 16. Neeraj joined the Indian Army as a junior commissioned officer in the rank of Naib Subedar on August 26, 2016.
He was awarded the Arjuna Award for his exploits in athletics two years later and then received the Khel Ratna award for his performances in the field of sports in 2021.
Neeraj was also promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021. Following his historic gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the 27-year-old Indian athlete was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, by the Indian Army, in 2022.
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.