Sandeep Chaudhary, the world record holder in men's javelin throw, will be itching to write his name in the history books in the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
He will be competing in the F-44 classification of men's javelin throw and will be the favourites to win the gold medal in the field event.
Sandeep Chaudhary injured his hip when he was 12. Though the damage wasn't serious, due to lack of medical facilities, he couldn't get immediate treatment which resulted in a permanent damage.
Sandeep, the son of an army officer, aspired to join the Indian armed forces like his father but due to the unfortunate incident, he had to give up on his dream.
In spite of the physical hindrances that Sandeep had to deal with, he persisted with his passion for sports.
Ever since he was young, Sandeep tried his hand at multiple sports before deciding to pursue javelin throw as a professional sportsperson.
Sandeep has been training under Nawal Singh and the duo's chemistry has been reflected in their success. Nawal trained the gold medallist from the recently-concluded Olympics Neeraj Chopra.
What Is the F-44 Category in Which Sandeep Competes?
This class is for any athlete competing without a prosthesis with a unilateral or a combination of lower limb impairment/s where the impairment in only one limb meets the minimum impairment criteria.
Functional loss is seen in one foot, ankle and/or lower leg. The activity limitation in Para Athletics is roughly comparable to that found in an athlete with one through ankle/below knee amputation. (Source: Paralympic.org)
Heartbreak At Rio Paralympics
This is the javelin thrower's second appearance at the Paralympic Games. Sandeep recorded a best attempt of 54.30m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. This was his then-personal best but that wasn't enough for him to finish on the podium.
He finished fourth but post that event has ameliorated his performances over the last five years.
Post the Rio Paralympics performance, Sandeep kept improving on the fourth place finish.
At 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, his throw breached the 60m mark for the first time in history as he broke the world record. In the following year, he bettered his own world record with a throw of 66.18m.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, India won four medals including a couple of gold medals. This time around, Sandeep Chaudhary is one of India's brightest medal hopefuls in Tokyo and if he performs up to his potential, there is no reason why he can't be on the top of the podium come 30 August.
(With inputs from The Bridge)
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