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Suhas Yathiraj poses for a photo with the silver medal at the Paris Paralympic Games to be held in Paris on September 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
Indian para-shuttler Suhas Yathiraj is emotionally distraught after winning his second consecutive Paralympic silver medal. He is proud of his achievement, but is also grappling with feelings of “grief and disappointment” at missing out on the gold medal.
The 41-year-old entered the ongoing Games as the world No. 1 and was expected to win gold in the men’s singles SL4 category. However, he had to settle for a silver medal after losing in straight games to Lucas Mazur of France in the final on Monday (September 2, 2024) evening.
“…there was pressure and expectations on me coming here as the world No. 1 and world champion. I also hoped that I would do well here. Ideally I wanted to win the gold medal, which is every player’s dream,” he said on Tuesday (September 3, 2024).
“Winning the silver medal is a mixed feeling, missing out on the gold is both sad and disappointing. But when the feeling sinks in, you realise it was a big deal to qualify for the Paralympics and represent your country.”
“Winning the silver medal is a proud moment for me and I am feeling very grateful and thankful,” the 2007 batch IAS officer said.
Suhas looked uncertain in the summit clash and was no match for the strong Frenchman, losing 9-21 13-21. It was the same opponent against whom the Indian lost in the Tokyo Paralympics final. Asked to compare the two silver medals, Suhas said: “Earlier the country and I did not believe that we could win a medal in Paralympics badminton. I did not know how my performance would be. That was a different kind of feeling.
“Both the silver medals had their own challenges. As I said, the first time people don’t take you seriously unless you perform at the highest level. But playing under expectations is a different kind of pressure in itself.” Suhas, born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle that significantly affected his mobility, competes in the SL4 category which is for athletes who compete standing up with a less severe disability than SL3.
Even though the gold medal has eluded him yet again, Suhas said the journey has been enjoyable.
He said, “When I started my Paralympic qualification journey, I had not played any matches for a year or two and I was ranked 39th in the world. From there, reaching the top 12 and then qualifying for Level-1 tournaments and from there winning gold at the Asian Para Games, gold at the World Championships, becoming world number one… you need to enjoy this journey.”
Arjuna Award winner Suhas believes Tokyo 2020 was a “pivotal moment” for Indian Olympic and Paralympic sports.
“Para sports have seen a huge change. Tokyo 2020 was a watershed moment for Indian para sports and Indian Olympic sports in general,” he said.
He said, “Everyone knows that cricket is popular in India but the kind of support the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games have received from the society in the last several years is unimaginable.
“This will increase further in the coming years and will also improve our medal tally,” he said.
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