Neeraj Chopra who secured India's second individual gold in Olympic history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has another identity as subedar Neeraj Chopra as he joined the Indian Army in 2016.
Here are 5 things to know about Neeraj Chopra's Army career:
> In 2016, Neeraj Chopra was inducted into the Indian Army in the sports quota at the rank of Naib Subedar. His parent unit was 4 Rajputana Rifles.
> He was selected for training at the Mission Olympics Wing and the Army Sports Institute in Pune. Mission Olympic Wing is the Indian Army's initiative to train promising sportspersons.
> Subedar Kashinath Naik, who won the bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in javelin throwing, was Neeraj Chopra's trainer.
> Neeraj Chopra was also trained under German coach Uwe Horn and won Gold medals for India in the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
> From a Naik Subedar, Neeraj Chopra was promoted to the rank of Subedar and received accolades for his contribution to sports. He was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2018 and the Vishisht Seva Medal, which is a decoration of the Indian armed forces.
Neeraj Chopra's feat was a celebratory moment for Pune's Army Sports Institute on Saturday. Army Chief general MM Naravane said the entire Army is proud of his achievement. "Neeraj Chopra has proven that when there is the WILL there is a way. He has done the Armed Forces and the Nation proud like many other Olympians who have created history in TOKYO 2020, chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat said.
{{/usCountry}}Neeraj Chopra's feat was a celebratory moment for Pune's Army Sports Institute on Saturday. Army Chief general MM Naravane said the entire Army is proud of his achievement. "Neeraj Chopra has proven that when there is the WILL there is a way. He has done the Armed Forces and the Nation proud like many other Olympians who have created history in TOKYO 2020, chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat said.
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