--- title: "What do you know about Neeraj Chopra? What is his position in the Indian Army?" description: "What do you know about Neeraj Chopra? What is his position in the Indian Army?" author: "Lily Chitlangiya" published: 2021-11-08 canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94021/what-do-you-know-about-neeraj-chopra-what-is-his-position-in-the-indian-army category: "sports" tags: ["indian army", "india sports"] reading_time: 3 minutes --- # What do you know about Neeraj Chopra? What is his position in the Indian Army? What do you know about [Neeraj Chopra](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/82809/proving-them-wrong-all-the-way-neeraj-chopra)? What is his position in the Indian Army? ## Answers ### Answer by Harshal Vispute **Neeraj Chopra VSM** is an **Indian track and field athlete** who competes in the **javelin throw**. He was born on **December 24, 1997**. He is ranked **second in the world by World Athletics** as of **August 2021**. Chopra is **India's first Olympic gold medalist in track and field.** In the **[Indian Army](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/38719/68th-indian-army-day-was-observed-across-india-on), he is a JCO (Joint Commissioned Officer)**. He is also the **first Indian track and field athlete to win in the IAAF World U20 Championships**, where he established **a world under-20 record throw of 86.48 meters in 2016**, making him the **first Indian athlete** to do so. Chopra competed in both the **[Commonwealth Games](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/40159/which-city-will-host-the-commonwealth-games-in-2018) and the Asian Games in 2018**, acting as the **flag bearer** for the **latter and earning gold medals in both**. Chopra won the **[gold medal](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/45036/in-which-year-punjabi-athletician-milkha-singh-won-gold-medals-in-asian-games) in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics** with a throw of **87.58 meters on his second try on August 7, 2021**. As of 2021, he is one of only two Indians (the other being **Abhinav Bindra**) to win an individual Olympic gold medal, as well as the youngest Indian Olympic gold medalist in an individual event and the only one to win gold Chopra was born on **December 24, 1997, to Satish Kumar and Saroj Devi in Khandra village, Panipat district, Haryana**. He comes from an agricultural household and has two sisters. As of 2021, he is pursuing a **Bachelor of Arts at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab**, after graduating from Chandigarh's Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College. \ ![What do you know about Neeraj Chopra? What is his position in the Indian Army?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/1dadb51d-4d84-4298-bfc0-94f42005e632/images/ca9dc3a1-da91-48a1-bc6e-4d20fabd7c6e.jpeg)\ \ Chopra made his **Olympic debut on August 4, 2021**, in the **Japan National Stadium**, representing India. With a throw of **86.65 meters**, he won his qualification group and qualified for the final. Chopra won the **gold medal in the final on August 7, throwing 87.58 meters** on his **second attempt**, becoming the **first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics and the first Indian Olympic medalist in athletics** after **independence.** The first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics after independence, and the first Indian Olympic medalist in athletics.\ \ Chopra's victory gave India a total of **seven medals at the Games**, exceeding the **country's previous best of six medals at the 2012 London Olympics.** Chopra rose to second place in the men's javelin throw on the international stage. ## National honors - **2018 - Arjuna Award.** - **2020 Republic Day award - Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM)** - **2021 highest sporting honor of India - Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award** ## Other **Defence Minister Rajanath Singh renamed the Army Sports Institute (ASI) stadium in Pune cantonment 'Neeraj Chopra Stadium' on August 27, 2021.** --- Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94021/what-do-you-know-about-neeraj-chopra-what-is-his-position-in-the-indian-army Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.