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Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar moved closer to their maiden gold medal by reaching the men’s singles finals in their respective categories at the Paris Paralympics on Sunday. Tokyo Games silver medallist Suhas is set to become the first Indian shuttler to win two consecutive medals at the Paralympics after beating compatriot Sukant Kadam 21-17, 21-12 in SL4, while Nitesh assured himself of a medal with a 21-16, 21-12 win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in another semifinal in SL3.
However, Indian shuttler Nitya Sri Sumathi Sivan lost 13-21, 19-21 to Lin Shuangbao of China in the women’s singles SH6 semi-finals. She will play for the bronze medal.
Suhas, 41, a 2007 batch IAS officer, will now take on Lucas Mazur of France, who lost to him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago.
“I still can’t believe it (reaching two consecutive finals). I thank God. I tried my best and didn’t let the pressure get to me,” Suhas said.
Nitesh, who lost his left leg following a train accident in 2009, will face Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the final. Bethell, who finished second to Pramod Bhagat at the Tokyo Games, is a strong opponent, setting the stage for a thrilling final on Monday.
Meanwhile, Sukanth will now play for the bronze medal.
Nitesh, a graduate from IIT Mandi, had won three medals including a single silver at the Asian Para Games. With this victory, he ensured that India returned with a medal from the SL3 category. Earlier, Pramod Bhagat had won a gold medal at the debut of para badminton in Tokyo three years ago.
“I was performing consistently well so I was confident I would reach the final and it feels great to have done that because there was pressure and I lost in the mixed doubles but I didn’t let it affect me,” the 29-year-old said.
Computer engineer Suhas, who served as the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar during the Covid-19 pandemic and was also the DM of Prayagraj, performed brilliantly and secured his place in the finals.
Talking about Mazur, Suhas, who never let his ankle weakness hamper his passion for badminton, said: “We know each other very well. I had beaten him at the World Championships this year and he would want revenge.”
“I lost to him in Tokyo, but luckily I have won a gold medal at the Asian Para Games, becoming No. 1 in the world. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I will just go out there and enjoy myself.” In SL4, athletes compete standing with a less severe disability than in SL3, which is for players like Nitesh who compete with a more severe lower limb disability that requires playing on a half-wide court.
Nitesh’s sporting journey began with a childhood passion for football. However, an accident in Visakhapatnam left him bed-ridden for several months and with a permanent leg injury. Despite this, his interest in sports persisted, especially while studying at IIT-Mandi, where he developed a keen interest in badminton.
He continued to hone his skills alongside his studies and made his national debut in Faridabad, where he won a bronze medal representing Haryana.
The following year, he won silver in singles and bronze in doubles in Bengaluru, establishing his identity in para-badminton.
His domestic success peaked at the 2020 Nationals, where he won the gold medal defeating Pramod and Manoj Sarkar.
Nitesh’s win ensured India their third medal in para badminton as Manisha Ramdas also secured a podium spot by reaching the women’s singles SU5 semi-finals along with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan.
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy that affected her right arm, had no trouble defeating Mamiko Toyoda of Japan 21-13, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
Erb’s palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that results in weakness or loss of muscle function.
The second seeded Indian took 30 minutes to beat his unseeded opponent.
In the last four, Manisha will face top seed Thulasimati, who defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in Group A on Saturday.
Players in the SU5 category have a deficiency in their upper limbs. This deficiency can be in the playing or non-playing hand.
India’s medal hopes were further boosted by Nitya Sivan Sumathi, who entered the women’s singles SH6 semi-finals with a 21-4, 21-7 win over Oliwia Szmigiel of Poland.
On Saturday, Sukant Kadam earned the right to take on compatriot Suhas Yathiraj in the SL4 semifinals, ensuring the country’s first medal in badminton at this edition of the Games.
However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli crashed out after losing their respective quarter-finals on Sunday.
Competing in the SL3 category, Mandeep gave a tough fight to third seed Bolaji Mariam Eniola of Nigeria and lost the match 8-21, 9-21 in 23 minutes.
This was Mandeep’s second consecutive defeat against Eniola, having earlier lost to the Nigerian player in the group stage as well.
Palak, a Para World Championships bronze medallist in the SL4 category, lost to Indonesia’s Khalimtus Saadiah 19-21, 15-21 in 28 minutes.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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