Tejbir Bura

Lans-Naik

Tejbir Bura
AllegianceNepal Nepal
Service / branch British Indian Army
 Nepali Army
RankNaik
Commands2nd Battalion of 6th Gurkha Rifles

Tejbir Bura was a Nepalese soldier, mountaineer and a gold medalist in alpinism, as he was recognized during the 1924 Winter Olympics for his participation in the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition.[1][2] He worked as a non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the Nepali Army. Tejbir joined the British India Army, in which he achieved the military rank of Naik, which in India is equal to the rank of corporal.

Tejbir Bura was part of the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition, an attempt to climb Mount Everest, which was led by Charles Granville Bruce of 6th Gurkha Rifles. The father of the Modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin stated that an Olympic medal for alpinism should be awarded to the Mount Everest climbers who were part of the 1922 Everest expedition.[3][4] The athletes who were part of that expedition received gold medals at the 1924 Winter Olympics, although they are not considered in the medal tallies of the International Olympic Committee. 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.[5] His medal is in the collection of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester.[4]

  1. ^ "Alpinism at the 1924 Chamonix Winter Games: Mixed Alpinism". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. ^ "Olympic History of Nepal". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  3. ^ "Tejbir Bura – OFFSIDE !". someshverma.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  4. ^ a b "1924 Winter Olympic Medal – The Gurkha Museum". thegurkhamuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  5. ^ Verma, Somesh (17 Aug 2012). "The faceless hero Nepal's only Olympic Gold medalist in focus". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 2017-12-05.