The final day of action at the Tokyo Paralympics began with yet another medal for India as Suhas L Yathiraj secured silver in the Badminton Men's Singles SL4 category. The IAS officer who also serves as the District Magistrate of Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar lost his final match for gold against France's Lucas Mazur. Despite losing the first match, Mazur had mounted an incredible comeback to win gold 15-21, 21-17, 21-15.
Meanwhile fellow Paralympian and shuttler Tarun Dhillon narrowly missed out on the bronze medal after a closely fought match against Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan in the Men's Singles SL4 event.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as President Ram Nath Kovind have since tweeted their congratulations for the Noida DM. Dubbing his work a "fantastic confluence of service and sports" Modi lauded Yathiraj for his "exceptional sporting performance".
"On earlier occasions also he won many medals. Along with efficiently discharging his administrative duties, he has been successful in Paralympics," lauded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, extending congratulations on the win.
"Congratulations to Suhas Yathiraj who gave a tough fight to world #1 and won silver medal in badminton at Paralympics. Your dedication in pursuing sports while discharging duties as a civil servant is exceptional. Best wishes for a future full of accomplishments," the President wrote.
