Suhas Yathiraj is the first Indian Administrative Service officer to earn a medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo. In the SL4 division, the 38-year-old upsets world champion Lucas Mazur of France. India’s Tarun lost his bronze medal match in straight games to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan. Yathiraj was the district magistrate of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh’s eastern region. He earned a gold medal in the Asian Championships in Beijing in his debut year on the international stage.
Key Highlights
- Suhas Yathiraj is the first Indian Administrative Service officer to earn a medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
- In the SL4 division, the 38-year-old upsets world champion Lucas Mazur of France.
- India’s Tarun lost his bronze medal match in straight games to Indonesia’S Fredy Setiawan.
- He earned a gold medal in the Asian Championships in Beijing in his debut year on the international stage.
- He is the District Magistrate of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, who is now rated No. 3 in the SL3 category.
- He has also won India a second medal in SL3, adding to his medal total.
Suhas Yathiraj made history by being the first officer from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to win a medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo. The 38-year-old added to his achievement by capturing a silver medal in the men’s singles SL4 category at the Tokyo 2020 Para Games on Sunday, falling narrowly to top seed and world champion Lucas Mazur of France 21-15, 21-15-21.
Meanwhile, India’s Tarun, who had tested Mazur in the semi-final, was defeated in straight games by Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the bronze medal match.
Suhas Yathiraj, a Karnataka-born engineer who is now the District Magistrate of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, defeated the three-time world champion in consecutive games. Suhas appeared to be in perfect command of his opponent, pushing the French bara-badminton star to his limits.
Yathiraj lost in the second game 17-21 after winning the first 21-15. The Indian star did not give up and continued to challenge Mazur, who remained calm and won the gold medal.
Regardless, it was a spectacle to see Yathiraj crush the Frenchman, turn to his coach, and celebrate the points with such assurance that it scared Mazur at one point.
Yathiraj, who is now rated No. 3 in the SL4 category, won the semi-final against Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in straight games, ensuring India a second medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Lucas Mazur was caught off guard by Yathiraj’s sharpness and dominance in the rallies. In reality, Mazur had won the match in straight games when the two shuttles met in the group rounds. On Sunday, however, Yathiraj appeared revved up and motivated to seize the opportunity to compete on one of badminton’s grandest platforms.
After the famous Parmod Bhagat won gold in the men’s singles SL3 category on Saturday, Yathiraj has earned India’s third medal at the Tokyo Paralympics badminton event. Manoj Sarkar of India won bronze in the SL3 category, adding to his medal total.
The hero of Covid-19 is now a Paralympic hero.
In Noida’s Gautam Budh Nagar, Yathiraj has been at the forefront of Covid-19 management. Yathiraj discovered methods to keep his training going even while he headed the Covid-19 management activities, owing to his excellent management of his game and administrative duties over the previous 6 years. In the run-up to his first Paralympic appearance, the 38-year-old claimed he set aside two hours each day after work to practice badminton.
When Yathiraj was the district magistrate of Azamgarh district in eastern Uttar Pradesh in 2016, he began playing professional badminton. Yathiraj was interested in a tournament that had been staged there. Yathiraj decided to participate in the competition after being chosen as the event’s principal guest.
Yathiraj received his training from Gaurav Khanna, the current India para-badminton coach. He earned a gold medal in the Asian Championships in Beijing in his debut year on the international stage. In the following year, gold medals were won in the Japan Open and the Turkish Open, as Yathiraj continued to devote time to para-badminton despite his busy schedule as an IAS official.
What. A. Match 🤯#FRA's Lucas Mazur and #IND's Suhas Yathiraj served up a true classic in the #ParaBadminton Men's Singles SL4 Final. 🔥 #Gold #Silver #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/jUjC8QqboA
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) September 5, 2021
