Reigning world para javelin champion Sandeep Chaudhary eyes Paralympics medal in Tokyo, following 4th place finish in Rio 

Sandeep Chaudhary, reigning world para champion and world record holder in men's F64 javelin throw, has overcome several obstacles in life to pursue a career in sports. The passionate 25-year-old is all set to make his second Paralympic appearance in Tokyo.

Sandeep Chaudhary's story

Sandeep injured his hip at the age of 12. The consequent formation of pus in the joints and the lack of immediate treatment caused him permanent damage. He went under the knife several times, but the incident eventually led to a severe loss of mobility.

However, it didn't stop the teenager from pursuing his dream. He continued playing several sports, including badminton and volleyball, until he was introduced to javelin in 2014.

GoSports introduced Sandeep to coach Nawal Singh, who helped him before he could even try the run-ups. Little did they know they were building a future champion.

Know Your Para AthleteWorld no.1 and record holder in Men’s Javelin F44, @sandeepjavelin, is all set to give his best at the Tokyo #Paralympics . #Cheer4India #Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/tqA3t7Hp6h

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 11, 2021

Sandeep Chaudhary's achievements

Gold - Men's javelin throw, F64, 2019 World Para Athletics Championships

Gold - Men's javelin thow, F42-44/61-64, Asian Para Games

World Record - 66.18m

New world record created by @DevJhajharia with a throw of 65.71m in javelin throw in the F- 46 category. Congratulations to him, @sandeepjavelin, #Navdeep and #sundarsinghgujjar on qualifying for the Paralympics 🇮🇳💪 #bluerising #tokyo #paralympics #strongertogether pic.twitter.com/C8WJC8Ruhc

— Indian Sports Honours (@sportshonours) July 2, 2021

Sandeep Chaudhary's 2016 Paralympic journey and world records

Despite a personal best throw of 54.30m, Sandeep missed the podium at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and finished fourth.

However, there has been a drastic change in his performance ever since. He bagged a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, setting a new world record of 60.01m in the F42-44/61-64 category. The 25-year-old broke the previous record set by Chinese athlete Gao Mingjie in 1980.

In 2019, Sandeep won the gold medal with a world record throw of 66.18m at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He also clinched gold at the 2021 World Para Athletics' Dubai Grand Prix with a throw of 61.22m.

Sandeep has been in exceptional form and will be looking to compensate for his 2016 medal slip in Tokyo.