Paris: Suhas Yathiraj had to settle for silver at the Paris Paralympics 2024 after losing the men’s singles SL4 badminton class final match 9-21, 13-21 to Lucas Mazur of France on Monday. With this medal, Yathiraj became the only Indian shuttler to win medals at both Tokyo and Paris Paralympics. The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, looked tentative and was no match for the formidable French, losing in a lop-sided summit clash.
The loss meant Lucas once again denied Suhas the glory, having beaten him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago.
Born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle, which significantly affected his mobility, Suhas plays in SL4 category which is meant for athletes competing while standing with less severe impairment than in SL3.
His silver took India’s medal tally in Paris Paralympics para-badminton to four, following the gold won by Kumar Nitesh (SL3) and silver and bronze claimed by Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramadass in women’s singles SU5.
