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Independence Day Special: Top Indian Sportspersons who also served in the army
These sporting stars also served their time in the Indian Army.
India has had many sportspersons who’ve won laurels for the country in their respective fields. The love for the motherland makes the athletes give their all on the field and trump their opponents to get the tricolour flying high. Some sportspersons not only serve their motherland on the sporting field but have also given their services in the Indian Army. On that note, let’s take a look at the top four sportspersons who’ve given their services in the Indian army:
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Source: Twitter)
Olympic Medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was a graduate of the National Defence Academy in the early 90s and served as a member till 2013. He became the first individual silver medalist in Olympics for India post-independence when he won the coveted silver medal in Athens Olympics 2004. He also has three Gold medals to his name in the Commonwealth Games.
Apart from bringing glory to the nation on the field of sports, Rathore has also fought in the Kargil War. He’s also served in Jammu & Kashmir where he was engaged in many counter-terrorist operations. Rathore has credited all his achievements in his life to his army training.
Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh (Source: Twitter)
Milkha Singh was the only Indian individual gold medallist in Athletics at an international multi-discipline event until Vikas Gowda achieved the feat in 2014. The army played a huge role in the life of the ‘flying Sikh and turned him into an ultimate champion. However, getting into the army was not a cakewalk for the Indian sporting legend.
He only managed to crack the entry on his fourth attempt. He was introduced to athletics, during his posting in Secunderabad. The ‘Flying Sikh went on to win four Asian Games gold medals and one commonwealth gold. He narrowly missed out on the Olympic medal which remained the biggest regret in his life.
MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni
Captain Cool ‘MSD’ and his love for the Indian army are known by everyone. Dhoni was often seen spending his time with the army personnel during his break from the game. He also wore a glove during the ODI World Cup 2019 which had the emblem of the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army which further led to controversy.
After winning the World Cup, Dhoni was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the Indian Territorial Army, in 2011. He also served the army in 2019, as he was posted in Jammu and Kashmir for a couple of weeks. The former Indian captain did his duty diligently and served like any other army personnel which got him praise from the entire nation.
Vijay Kumar
Vijay Kumar (Source: Twitter)
Vijay Kumar was born in Himachal and hails from an army background. His father Banku Ram is a retired Indian Army subedar. Kumar won the silver medal in shooting at the 2012 London Olympics. He has also won five gold medals at various Commonwealth Games.
The Olympic medalist has credited the Indian army for his success and has thanked them on many occasions for providing world-class training facilities. Vijay Kumar retired from the army in 2017, after 15 years of service. He served as a Subedar Major in the Dogra Regiment (16th Batallion).
