India’s rising star Sachin Yadav is capable of 95-metre plus throws provided he is in the ‘right hands’ of a coach who knows how to get the best out of him, Uwe Hohn, the only athlete to have sent the javelin over 100 metres, told The Indian Express on Saturday.
Hohn’s mark of 104.80 metres, set in 1984, is known as the ‘eternal world record’. After Hohn’s superhuman feat, the centre of gravity of the 800-gram spear was moved forward to prevent bigger throws that could impale athletes and fans at the other end of the stadium.
“He’s definitely a 90 metre-plus thrower and if in the right hands, a 95 metre-plus thrower because he has so many things (technique-wise) to change and that (the changes) can help him produce enormous throws. He needs to learn running, to get the right rhythm, work on his body position and use more than only his arm to throw. If he can learn this and has a good coach he could dominate javelin throwing like (Jan) Zelezny or me,” Hohn said.
Zelezny, the official world record holder with 98.48 metres, is the former coach of Olympic and World Championship medalist Neeraj Chopra.
Sachin outdid himself by finishing fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and missed a bronze medal by just 40 centimetres in a field comprising the world’s best throwers. In only his second international competition, Sachin produced a personal best of 86.27 metres with two more throws over 85 metres.
Hohn coached Chopra to gold medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Hohn’s contract was not renewed after the Tokyo Olympics after he had a fallout with the Sports Authority of India and the Athletics Federation of India.
Hohn, 63, has a keen eye for javelin technique and continues to follow competitions across the world. “I wasn’t really surprised about Sachin’s result because I still follow what’s going on in the world of javelin throwing. He performed really well and also on a stable (consistent) level and was one of the throwers with the most stable series. But technique… rhythm, body stability problems hindered him from getting onto the podium. His technique is very basic,” Hohn added.
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However, Hohn liked the way Sachin released the javelin and observed that he has a good arm. “His technique is very basic. He obviously has a good arm, is strong and can hit the javelin straight. Like I said, he has a good fast arm but javelin throws are built from the ground up and there’s a big loss of power.”
Hohn feels it won’t take long for a good coach to transform Sachin into one of the best in the world. “There is a lot to change but it shouldn’t need too long to change with good training and under a coach who knows what he’s doing and working on the big picture.”
Sachin is six feet and five inches tall and is often compared to Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who is nearly 6’4”. Hohn said though there were commonalities, Sachin hasn’t acquired the technique or stability that Arshad had last year.
“He has things in common with Arshad but is far from Arshad’s technique and stability from last year. That’s why he needs to change his way of training and not only rely on his great arm.”
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The German said he is ready to help Sachin if he reaches out to him. “I’m definitely able and willing to help Sachin become a great javelin thrower and get much closer to reaching his true potential.”
Neeraj needs ‘drastic changes’
Without going into details, Hohn said Chopra also needed to make ‘drastic changes’ to return to his best. Chopra finished eighth at the World Championships, the first time in seven years he didn’t make the top three of a competition.
Chopra joined the 90-metre club during the Diamond League in Doha in May, but ‘back issues’ troubled him during the final in Tokyo on Thursday. “I had some problems before coming to Tokyo. Two weeks ago, I had some back issues but didn’t want to tell anyone,” Chopra said after the final.
Hohn said: “If you look at the problems Neeraj has had since working with Zelezny, you can also see that the changes he made during the last month were a big mistake. He also needs to make drastic changes if he likes to get back to what he was or even better. I would also help Neeraj if he would ask, even though it’s a really big step from where he is now. He has lost a lot of attributes that made him good.”
