India’s hopes for gold were dashed after Suhas Yathiraj lost his final match in men’s singles SL4 at the Paris Paralympics. The 41-year-old lost to the same opponent he was defeated by in the Tokyo Paralympics, where he bagged silver. Suhas lost to French athlete Lucas Mazur by 2-0 (21-9, 21-13).
Second medal for Yathiraj in Paralympics
Suhas has become the first Indian shuttler to win two medals at the Paralympics. Earlier, he bagged the silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics. Suhas has been India’s top shuttler. Recently, in the World Championships in Pattaya, he won gold. Also, in the Asian Para Games, he clinched the gold medal in singles and a bronze in the men’s team event.
Yathiraj’s top performance falls short in finals
Suhas Yathiraj began his campaign strongly, winning both of his group stage matches with straight-game victories over Indonesia’s Hikmat Ramdani and South Korea’s Hwan Kyung Shin.
In the semifinals, he faced compatriot Sukant Kadam. Continuing his winning streak, Suhas defeated Sukant 2-0 to advance to the finals for the second consecutive Paralympics. Sukant is now competing for the bronze medal against Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan.