Training with Uwe Hohn, inspired by Seema Punia – Secret behind Sandeep Chaudhary's silver at World Para Athletics C'ships

New Delhi: Former world champion Sandeep Chaudhary added a third world championships medal to his tally, clinching the men's F44 javelin throw silver at the World Para Athletics Championships here on Tuesday.

In a thrilling double podium finish for India, Chaudhary secured the second spot with a season-best throw of 62.67m only behind compatriot Sandip Sargar, who claimed gold with 62.82m.

Throughout most of his career, Sandeep competed in the combined F44/64 category, but this marked his first time competing solely in the F44 category, allowing him to avoid facing Sumit Antil, the three-time World Champion in the F64 category.

"We like competing against him [Sumit] but we also like this experience of competing in my own category. Nevertheless, we mostly think about giving our best, whichever category it is, otherwise it puts extra mental pressure," he told The Bridge after his silver medal performance.

Fueled by Seema Punia

Though Chaudhary won his third world championships medal, he has consistently found himself on the wrong side of the podium at the Paralympics with fourth place finishes in the last three editions.

However, he hasn't lost his hope. Working with veteran Indian discus thrower Seema Punia has also helped him find some much needed inspiration.

"My coach and senior Seema Punia is 42 and still trains tirelessly, even securing a bronze at the last Asian Games," Chaudhary shared, reflecting on his motivation despite numerous challenges.

"Watching her, I realized that if she can stay consistent at her age, I have at least a decade to match her level or keep pushing forward," he added.

Seema Punia is not his only coach. He also trains with Uwe Hohn, the only javelin thrower to register a 100m+ distance, which eventually resulted in a new design of a javelin in 1986 to avoid injuries with such high distances.

"I also have a foreign coach and I usually train with him virtually, but whenever I go for training in Germany, there I also meet him and we work on my impulse," Chaudhary mentioned.

Hohn, who also worked with Neeraj Chopra in his early days, is known as a biomechanics specialist and is helping Sandeep in his crucial final sequence of the run-up.

Mentoring Navdeep Singh

Chaudhary is not only giving his best on the field, but he has also been mentoring fellow athletes like Paralympic champion Navdeep, guiding him from his early days.

"Navdeep is like my younger brother. I've been acting as a mentor coach for him since the day he started javelin. I'm proud of him as he gave India a medal at the biggest stage," he said.

"I was very sad after finishing fourth at Paralympics, but when I saw Navdeep winning the gold, I forgot all my pain, and whenever he performed, it gave satisfaction to my inner self," he added.

Chaudhary has been playing this sport for almost a decade and yet his desire to win more medals remains strong.