Suhas Yathiraj signs off with back-to-back silver; Sukant Kadam misses out on bronze at Paralympics

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.

India's Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan clinched the bronze medal with a commanding 2-0 (21-14, 21-6) victory over Indonesia's Rina Marlina in the Women's Singles SH6 third-place play-off match.

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.