Badminton player Suhas Yathiraj added another gold medal in India’s campaign at the Asian Para Games, in Hangzhou, China. The talented Yathiraj won the men’s singles final on Friday in the SL4 category after beating Malaysia’s Burhanuddin Mohd Amin 21-13, 18-21, 21-9.
Seasoned Pro Suhas Yathiraj
The former world no. 2 player in the SL4 category, Yathiraj is one of the best players in the world currently, having won a silver at the Paralympics 2021. This year in May he created history when he won the Thailand Para Badminton Tournament. Apart from that, he was a gold medal winner at the Asian Championships 2016. Back in 2018, he had also won a team bronze at the Asian Para Games.
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IAS Officer Suhas Yathiraj
Not many would know that Yathiraj is an IAS officer of the 2007 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre, and served as the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Prayagraj. Prior to that, he completed his engineering from the National Institute of Technology. In his capacity as a DM, he was one of the frontline workers, who worked during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite his busy schedule there, he managed to perform exceptionally well at the Tokyo Paralympics.
How Suhas Yathiraj Became a Professional Shuttler
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Back in 2016, Yathiraj started playing badminton as a hobby, while serving as the DM of Azamgarh district. After being invited to the inauguration of a badminton event, he expressed his desire to play. There he went on to beat several state-level players and was spotted by para coach Gaurav Khanna. On his insistence, Yathiraj became a professional player.
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