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Army extols Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic feat

Chopra became the first Indian athlete in history to win a gold for Javelin throwing
Last Updated 07 August 2021, 16:45 IST

The winning of an Olympic gold in track and field has special resonance for the Indian Army, as the winning Olympian, Neeraj Chopra, is a serving subedar in the army’s southern command.

On Saturday, Chopra became the first Indian athlete in history to win a gold for Javelin throwing. In the process, he set a new Olympic Record with 87.6 metres. The Army said that Chopra had trained at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.

Chopra is one of only two Indians to win a gold medal for individual achievement at the Games. The first was Abhinav Bindra who took home gold for 10-meter air rifle shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Hailing from a farming family of Khandra village, Panipat district, Haryana, Chopra was enrolled as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army on 26 August 2016. He was subsequently awarded the Arjuna Award in 2018 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2021 for his meritorious service.

Lt General J S Nain, Army Commander, Southern Command, complimented the athlete on his historic performance and for making the Indian Army and the country proud.

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(Published 07 August 2021, 16:27 IST)

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