Tejbir Bura was a Nepalese soldier, mountaineer and a gold medalist in

alpinism Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

, as he was recognized during the

1924 Winter Olympics The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Chamonix 1924 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Originally held in association with the 1924 Summer ...

for his participation in the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition. He worked as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

(NCO) of the

Nepali Army The Nepali Army (), also referred to as the Gorkhali Army (; see '' Gorkhas''), formally known as "Royal Nepal Army" is the land service branch of the Nepali Armed Forces. After the Gorkha Kingdom was founded in 1559, its army was establis ...

. Tejbir joined the

British India Army The Indian Army was the force of British India, until national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have ...

, in which he achieved the military rank of Naik, which in India is equal to the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

. Tejbir Bura was part of the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition, an attempt to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

, which was led by

Charles Granville Bruce Brigadier-General The Honourable Charles Granville Bruce, Order of the Bath, CB, Royal Victorian Order, MVO (7 April 1866 – 12 July 1939) was a veteran Himalayas, Himalayan mountaineer and leader of the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition, s ...

6th Gurkha Rifles The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Compa ...

. The father of the Modern Olympics,

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...

stated that an Olympic medal for alpinism should be awarded to the Mount Everest climbers who were part of the 1922 Everest expedition. The athletes who were part of that expedition received

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

s at the

, although they are not considered in the medal tallies of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

. Tejbir Bura was the first Nepalese to win an Olympic medal, and he is still regarded as the only gold medalist for Nepal in its Olympic history, despite that his medal isn't recognised as official according to the rules of the IOC. His medal is in the collection of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester.

References

External links

Profile at Sports-Reference.com
{{Authority control Gurkhas Nepalese mountain climbers British Indian Army soldiers

See also

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External links