
Neeraj Chopra conferred with Lieutenant Colonel rank in Territorial Army
Neeraj Chopra has been conferred with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army on Tuesday. The double Olympic medalist's appointment, which was published in The Gazette of India, came into effect on April 16. The 27-year-old, who starts his season on Friday at the Doha Diamond League, was earlier conferred the rank of Subedar Major in 2024.
'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.
The honour is the latest among several that Neeraj has been conferred over the course of an illustrious career in which he has come to be recognised as the greatest Indian athlete of all time. Neeraj had earlier been enrolled as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army on August 26, 2016. Two years, later he was conferred the Arjuna Award after becoming the first Indian win gold at javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games and later at the Asian Games.
He received the Khel Ratna and Vishisht Seva Medal for his meritorious service before getting promoted to the rank of Subedar in 2021. Neeraj was then awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Force. Last year, he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major. During this time, Neeraj became the first Indian in the country's independent history to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics by winning the men's javelin event at Tokyo 2020. He then became the third individual Indian athlete after Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu to win more than Olympic medals by taking silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After the Doha Diamond League on Friday, Neeraj will compete at the 71st Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour (Silver Level) meet in Chorzow, Poland, on May 23. He is then slated to feature in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in the Czech Republic city on June 24. Neeraj was forced to pull out of the last two editions of the tournament due to injury.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
India go down 0-1 to Hong Kong in crucial 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier match
NEW DELHI: The suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat to hosts Hong Kong after conceding a stoppage-time penalty in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on Tuesday. The decisive goal came from Stefan Pereira in the 94th minute after a costly foul by India goalkeeper Vishal Kaith. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The referee pointed to the spot after Kaith charged off his line and collided with Michael Udebuluzor while attempting to punch the ball clear. Pereira made no mistake from the spot, calmly slotting the ball to Kaith's right. The Indian custodian was also shown a yellow card for the late challenge. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Earlier in the evening, head coach Manolo Marquez opted to keep veteran striker and talisman Sunil Chhetri out of the starting XI. Despite the raucous support for the home side at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium, India looked promising in the early exchanges and created a handful of chances in the first half, although Hong Kong dominated possession. However, as has often been the case of late, India's lack of clinical finishing once again proved costly. Their best opportunity of the half came in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan, set up beautifully by Liston Colaco's run and cross from the left, fired wide from close range. Colaco, who had earlier received treatment for an injury, also tried his luck with a powerful long-range effort, but it went straight into the hands of the Hong Kong goalkeeper. Hong Kong grew into the game as the first half progressed and nearly broke the deadlock through a set-piece, only to be denied by a goal-line clearance from Ashish Rai after Kaith was beaten. Both sides had their moments in a tightly contested opening 45 minutes, but neither could capitalize. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kuruniyan, effective down the flank throughout the match, had another opportunity early in the second half but again couldn't convert. In an attempt to inject urgency into the Indian attack, Marquez introduced Sunil Chhetri and Naorem Singh in place of Kuruniyan and Brandon Fernandes. MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost India continued to press for a goal and came close in the 81st minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte delivered a precise cutback to Chhetri inside the box, but the veteran striker failed to make solid contact. The result is a major blow to India's qualification hopes, especially after their goalless draw against Bangladesh at home in March in their opening qualifier. With only a few matches remaining, the Blue Tigers will now need to regroup quickly to keep their Asian Cup dreams alive.


News18
22 minutes ago
- News18
India Go Down 0-1 To Hong Kong In Crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier
Last Updated: India lost 1-0 to Hong Kong in a 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier as Stefan Pereira scored a late penalty after a Vishal Kaith mistake. The Indian football team suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against hosts Hong Kong in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match on Tuesday, conceding a late goal from Stefan Pereira in injury time. Hong Kong were awarded a penalty after Indian goalkeeper Vishal Kaith came off his line and collided with Michael Udebuluzor while attempting to clear the ball. Pereira (90+4) converted the spot-kick, placing the ball to the right of Kaith, who received a yellow card for the foul. Earlier, India's coach Manolo Marquez had opted to leave veteran striker Sunil Chhetri out of the starting line-up. Despite strong home support at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium, India created several chances in the first half, even though Hong Kong enjoyed more possession. However, the Blue Tigers' persistent struggles with finishing continued to plague them throughout the opening 45 minutes. The closest India came to scoring before half-time was in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan missed from close range following a well-delivered cross from Liston Colaco on the left. After receiving treatment for an injury, Colaco unleashed a powerful long-range shot that was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper. As the half progressed, Hong Kong gained confidence. The home side nearly took the lead from a free-kick, but Asish Rai made a crucial clearance after goalkeeper Kaith was beaten. Both teams had opportunities, but neither could break the deadlock in a tightly contested first half of this vital 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier. Kuruniyan, who otherwise delivered an impressive performance on the flanks, had another chance to open the scoring early in the second half but was unable to convert. Shortly thereafter, coach Manolo Marquez introduced India's all-time leading goal-scorer, Sunil Chhetri, alongside Naorem Singh, replacing Kuruniyan and Brandon Fernandes. India continued to create chances in the second half, notably in the 81st minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte provided a superb cutback to Chhetri inside the Hong Kong box, but the veteran striker failed to connect cleanly. The result represents a setback for India, who entered the match following a goalless draw against Bangladesh in their opening Asian Cup qualifying match at home in March.


India.com
23 minutes ago
- India.com
11 Indians Who Are Part Of ICC Hall Of Fame: MS Dhoni Joins Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev; Check Legendary List
photoDetails english 2913962 Updated:Jun 10, 2025, 08:05 PM IST 1. Sunil Gavaskar (Inducted in 2009) 1 / 11 Sunil Gavaskar, who was the first batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. Known for his impeccable technique, Gavaskar played 125 Tests and 108 ODIs for India, scoring 10,122 and 3,092 runs, respectively. 2. Bishan Singh Bedi (Inducted in 2009) 2 / 11 Bishan Singh Bedi, who is among the greatest spinners to play the sport, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. Bedi, who was part of India's famous spin quartet, played 67 Tests and 10 ODIs, and took 266 and 7 wickets respectively. 3. Kapil Dev (Inducted in 2009) 3 / 11 The 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. Legendary all-rounder played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs for India and picked up 434 and 253 wickets in respective formats. He also made valuable contributions with the bat, scoring 5248 runs in Tests and 3783 runs in ODIs. 4. Anil Kumble (Inducted in 2015) 4 / 11 Anil Kumble, who is India's leading wicket-taker in international cricket, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2015. Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 ODIs for India and picked up 619 wickets and 337 in respective formats. 5. Rahul Dravid (Inducted in 2018) 5 / 11 Rahul Dravid, popularly known as "The Wall," was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2018. Dravid, who was known for his unmatched consistency, scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests, 10,889 runs in 344 ODIs and 31 runs in one T20I. 6. Sachin Tendulkar (Inducted in 2019) 6 / 11 Sachin Tendulkar, who is arguably the greatest batter of all time, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2019. The "Master Blaster" played 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and 1 T20I for India during his 24-year-long career. He scored 18426 runs in ODIs, 15921 in Tests and 10 in T20Is in addition to his 201 wickets across formats. 7. Vinoo Mankad (Inducted in 2021) 7 / 11 Vinoo Mankad, one of India's greatest all-rounders, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2021. He played 44 Tests from 1946 to 1959 and scored 2109 runs in addition to his 162 wickets. 8. Diana Edulji (Inducted in 2023) 8 / 11 Former Indian women's cricket team captain Diana Edulji was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2023. Edulji played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs in which she scored 404 and 211 runs, respectively, in addition to his 63 and 46 wickets. 9. Virender Sehwag (Inducted in 2023) 9 / 11 Virender Sehwag, the destructive opener, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2023 along with Edulji. Sehwag scored 8586 runs in 104 Tests, 8273 runs in 251 ODIs and 394 runs in 19 T20Is. 10. Neetu David (Inducted in 2024) 10 / 11 Former India spinner Neetu David was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2024. She took 141 ODI wickets and 41 Test wickets. 11. MS Dhoni (Inducted in 2025) 11 / 11 MS Dhoni, who is India's most successful captain, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Monday, June 9, 2025. He is the only captain to win all three ICC white-ball titles (T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Dhoni played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is and scored more than 17,000 runs during his 15-year-long career.