NEW DELHI: Indian shuttler Suhas Yathiraj added another
Paralympic
medal to his name, securing silver in the men's singles SL4 category at the
Paris 2024
Paralympic Games. This marks his second consecutive silver medal in the event, following his success at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Yathiraj, a 2007 batch IAS officer, faced a formidable opponent in the final: reigning Paralympic champion
Lucas Mazur
of France.
The match proved to be a challenging one for the 41-year-old Indian athlete.
Mazur, displaying his dominance, controlled the pace and direction of play throughout the encounter. Yathiraj fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to a straight-games defeat, with the final score reading 9-21, 13-21.
This result marks the second time Mazur has denied Yathiraj Paralympic gold, having also triumphed over him in the Tokyo 2020 final. Despite the loss, Yathiraj's achievement is a testament to his dedication and perseverance.
Born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle, which impacts his mobility, Yathiraj competes in the SL4 category. This category is designated for athletes who compete standing and experience less severe impairment compared to the SL3 category.
Yathiraj's silver medal contributes significantly to India's medal haul in para-badminton at the
Paris Paralympics
. His achievement adds to the gold medal won by Nitesh Kumar in the men's singles SL3 category, and the silver and bronze medals secured by Thulasimathi Murugesan and
Manisha Ramadass
respectively in the women's singles SU5 category.
However, in a closely contested Men's Singles SL4 Bronze Medal Match, India's Sukant Kadam lost 0-2 (17-21, 18-21) to Fredy Setiawan of Indonesia.
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