Cross-country race
The cadet carried one of his team member on his back during the inter-squadron cross country race. (Representational Image)Wikimedia Commons

A photo of a National Defence Academy cadet carrying his injured comrade on his back during a cross-country race has taken the internet by storm and people cannot stop commending the cadet's show of team spirit and physical strength.

Chirag Arora was running in a 14-km marathon organised by the NDA in Pune on February 10. A total of 18 squadrons participated in the competition and the aim was not to beat others but to finish the race which is devoid of half-time, timeouts or substitutions irrespective of the rough terrain. The winning squadron gets the Gilder Trophy.

Arora belongs to the Echo squadron, which has been winning Gilder Trophy for a long time.

Arora, the quartermaster sergeant of his squadron, had seen when his squadron member and junior Devesh Joshi struggling to continue around 500 metres away from finishing the race. So, Arora carried Joshi in the "classic fireman lift position on his shoulders". The cadet not only completed the race in 55 minutes but also became the perfect example of 'squadron spirit'. Arora proved that helping others is way more important than personal victory.

cross country race
The inter-squadron cross-country race has no half-time. (Representational Image)Wikimedia Commons

Arora said that he couldn't allow his squadron cadet to lose out on points, so he ensured that they crossed the finishing line together, The Times of India reported.

Indian Army commends Arora

A retired Indian Army Major, Surendra Poonia, took to Twitter to not only praise Arora for his camaraderie but also mentioned that Lt. General Alok Kler from Ambala went to NDA to commend Arora. The Lt. General even gave his Ray-Ban to Arora.

Colonel Subin Balakrishnan, a retired Special Forces Officer of the Indian Army, took to Facebook to echo the same point. "The guy carrying his comrade is quite clearly a super fit guy, who would possibly have finished top of the heap, personally," said the Colonol.

"But he has also figured out that if his injured comrade were to drop out, their squadron stands to lose much greater than what his squadron would have gained if he were to surge ahead, himself. He also has figured out that by taking that call, he himself would lose any chance of being a podium finisher," he added.

Here's how Twitter lauded Arora:

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