Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj of India won a historic silver medal in the men’s singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday, defeating top seed Lucas Mazur of France.
The 38-year-old Noida district magistrate, who has a disability in one of his ankles, “has captured the imagination of our entire nation thanks to his exceptional sporting performance,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Modi wished Yathiraj the best of luck in his future endeavours, describing him as a “fantastic confluence of sports and service.”
Yathiraj’s dedication to sports while performing his duties as a civil servant, according to President Ram Nath Kovind, is exceptional.
“Congratulations to Suhas Yathiraj who gave a tough fight to world 1 and won silver medal in badminton at Paralympics. Your dedication in pursuing sports while discharging duties as a civil servant is exceptional. Best wishes for a future full of accomplishments,” the President wrote on Twitter.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also congratulated him. “On earlier occasions too he won many medals. Along with efficiently discharging his administrative duties, he has been successful in Paralympics,” Adityanath said.
In a 62-minute summit clash, the Noida DM put on a show before narrowly losing 21-15 17-21 15-21 to two-time world champion Mazur.
Suhas had lost in the qualifying group A match to Mazur, who has also won three gold medals at European Championships, but the Indian put in a valiant effort in the final to challenge his world No. 1 rival.
As a result, Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) district magistrate became the first IAS officer to win a medal at the Paralympics.
Suhas had defeated Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the semifinals 21-9 21-15.
