File photo of Suhas Yathiraj© X (formerly Twitter)
In a rematch of the gold medal match at the Tokyo Paralympics, India’s Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj went down to France’s Lucas Mazur once again, setting for a silver medal after a 0-2 defeat in the Men’s Singles SL4 section on Monday. Yathiraj, who had lost to Mazur in three games in the Tokyo final, could not repeat that performance and lost 9-21, 13-21 to the local star in a match that lasted 34 minutes. The SL4 category is for players with movement affected at a low level on one side of the body, in both legs or the minor absence of one limb. They play standing on a full-width court and have good court movement and a full range of shots.
Yathiraj, an IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is the reigning Asian Para Games gold medallist in the SL4 category and has a running rivalry with Mazur.
Mazur continued what has been the theme for the tournament for the hometown favourite and took a 7-0 lead in the first game. Despite a fightback from the Indian player, the early lead was too much for Suhas to cover as he lost 9-21. The 41-year-old Indian para shuttler tried to find his footing in the second game but the challenge proved too much as he trailed 6-11 at the mid-game interval. Mazur comfortably closed the game 13-21 to secure his second consecutive gold medal in this category.
Yathiraj began his Paris Paralympics journey with two consecutive wins in straight sets after defeating both Indonesia’s Hikmant Ramdani 21-7, 21-5 and Republic of Korea’s Kyung Hwan Shin in the opening stages to top Group A. Group winners were guaranteed a spot in the semifinals of the event where Suhas faced compatriot Sukant Kadam.
Yathiraj bested Kadam in straight games securing a decisive 2-0 victory (21-19, 21-12) in a match that lasted 35 minutes. The win over Kadam paved the way for a rematch between Yathiraj and Mazur, which too went the Tokyo way and the Indian had to settle for silver.
Mazur carved his way into the final by topping Group D. He defeated Brazil’s Rogerio Oliviera 2-0 before knocking out Indian para-shuttler Tarun Dhillon 2-0 in the second game. He then proceeded to breeze past Indonesian Fredy Satiawan, the bronze medallist in Tokyo, with yet another 2-0 victory.
Yathiraj alongside Thulasimathi Murugesan, who won the silver and Manisha Ramadass secured the bronze medal in the Women’s Singles SU5 category earlier, has taken India’s medal tally in Paris to 12.
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