NewsGate Press Network

By Vineet Dikshit

The very last few words in the message by the Director General of Military Training (DGMI), as seen at the website of Pune based Army’s Sports Institute says, “…the moment is not far when Army Sports Institute will bring home the coveted Olympic Gold.”.

Well the Lieutenant General of the DGMI had not to wait any longer.

That prophecy became a reality on Saturday, 07 August 2021 when one of the best students that Army’s Sports Institute had produced, Subedar Neeraj Chopra, won country’s first ever track & field Olympic Gold Medal.

Neeraj Chopra’s army connection began on 15 May 2016, the day when he was enrolled as Naib Subedar in 4 Rajputana Rifles.

His primary job was not to pick up a rifle and aim at the target. But his attack weapon was javelin.

As soon as he was recruited into the Army,  ‘sharp shooters’ hunting for elite talent in sports arena had dispatched Neeraj Chopra to Pune based Army Sports Institute, an academy dedicated to the produce best athletes so that they could occupy podium finishes at national and international sporting events.

This Army Sports Institute (ASI) is fully owned and operated by the Director General of Military Training (DGMI).

Once ordained into the Army’s system of training at Pune, Neeraj Chopra was quickly enrolled into the ‘Mission Olympics Wing’ – an initiative by the ASI to train top sportsmen in 11 selected disciplines that includes athletics.

A spokesperson for the Indian Army said : the Mission Olympics Wing has given two Olympic Silver medals in Shooting to the nation and Sub Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal highlights the hard work and efforts of Mission Olympics Wing.

Sub Neeraj was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2018 and VSM in 2020 for his excellence in sports.