Tokyo Paralympics: Noida DM Suhas Yathiraj Makes It To Badminton Finals, India Aims For Another Gold

Tokyo Paralympics: Noida DM Suhas Yathiraj storms into Tokyo Paralympics badminton final assuring at least a silver medal for India

Suhas Yathiraj Reaches Badminton Men's Singles (SL4) Final

Tokyo Paralympics Games: India got terrific news on Saturday in the ongoing Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Noida DM Suhas L Yathiraj raised India's hopes with his sensational performance as he stormed into the final of the badminton men's singles SL4 event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. .

By qualifying for the finals, Suhas has also assured at least a silver medal for India in badminton in the Tokyo Paralympics.

With terrific performance and techniques, Suhas won the semi-final easily. The 38-year-old defeated Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-15 to assure India of a 15th medal at the Tokyo edition. Suhas won the first set for 21-9. Setiawan tried to take a neck-to-neck fight in the second set but Suhas wrapped the essay to seal the second Game 21-15.

Suhas took 31 minutes to wrap up the semifinal.

Suhas has so far shown splendid performance at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. He has managed to win two of the three matches in his group. 

Even if the world's third-ranked Suhas loses in the final, he will secure a silver medal.

Suhas will now face World No.1 Lucas Mazur of France, who defeated another Indian Tarun Dhillon in a hard-fought semifinal. In the match which lasted an hour and three minutes, Mazur prevailed 21-16, 16-21, 21-18.

The 38-year-old from Karnataka, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, will face Mazur who had defeated him in the group game on Friday and the Indian will be aiming to defy the odds when he meets the French in the gold medal match on September 5.

A computer engineer, Suhas went on to become an IAS officer and has been posted as a district magistrate of Noida since 2020, a role that saw him at the forefront of the fight against Covid pandemic.