Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar on Sunday inched closer to their maiden gold medal after progressing to the men’s singles final in their respective categories at the Paris Paralympics. While Suhas, a silver medallist from Tokyo Games, is set to become the first Indian shuttler to secure back-to-back medals at the Paralympics after outplaying compatriot Sukant Kadam 21-17, 21-12 in SL4, Nitesh guaranteed a medal for himself in SL3 with a 21-16 21-12 victory over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in another semifinal.
However, Indian shuttler Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost her women’s singles SH6 semifinals to China’s Lin Shuangbao 13-21, 19-21. She will play for a bronze medal.
The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, will now face France’s Lucas Mazur, aiming to settle the score after losing to him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago.
“I still can’t believe (back-to-back finals). I thank God. I tried my best and didn’t let pressure get to me,” Suhas said.
Nitesh, who had lost his left leg after a train accident in 2009, will square off against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the summit clash. Bethell, who was the runner-up to Pramod Bhagat in the Tokyo Games, is a formidable opponent, setting the stage for an electrifying final on Monday.
Sukant, meanwhile, will next play for the bronze medal.
With his win, Nitesh, an IIT Mandi graduate, who won three medals, including a singles silver at the Asian Para Games, ensured that India return with a medal from the SL3 category, after Pramod Bhagat clinched the gold when para badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo.
“I have been performing consistently, so I had the self belief that I will make the finals and it feels amazing to actually do that because there is pressure and I had lost my mixed doubles but I didn’t let it affect me,” the 29-year-old said.
A 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, delivered a commanding performance to book his place in the final.
Talking about Mazur, Suhas, who never let his ankle impairment hinder his passion for badminton, said: “We know each other very well. I defeated him in World championships this year and he would want to take revenge.
“I lost to him in Tokyo but fortunately I have won Asian Para Games gold, became world no 1. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I will just go out there and enjoy myself.” In SL4, athletes compete while standing with less severe impairment than in SL3, which is for players, like Nitesh, who compete with more severe lower limb disabilities, requiring play on a half-width court.
Nitesh’s sports journey began with a passion for football in childhood. However, an accident in Visakhapatnam left him bedridden for months and resulted in permanent leg damage. Despite this, his interest in sports endured, particularly during his time at IIT-Mandi, where he developed a keen interest in badminton.
He kept honing his skills along with studies and made his debut at the Nationals in Faridabad, winning a bronze while representing Haryana.
The following year, he clinched a silver in singles and bronze in doubles at Bengaluru, establishing himself in para-badminton.
His domestic success peaked at the 2020 Nationals, where he defeated Pramod and Manoj Sarkar to win gold.
Nitesh’s win assured India its third medal from para badminton after Manisha Ramadass confirmed a podium after setting up a women’s singles SU5 semifinals duel with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan.
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy which affected her right arm, had no trouble in dispatching Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda 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 left-hander needed 30 minutes to down her unseeded rival.
In the last four, Manisha will meet top seed Thulasimathi, who had defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday.
In SU5 category, the players have impairment of the upper limbs. The impairment could be on the playing or non-playing hand.
India’s medal hopes were further bolstered by Nithya Sivan Sumathy, who advanced to the women’s singles SH6 semifinals with a 21-4, 21-7 victory over Poland’s Oliwia Szmigiel.
On Saturday, Sukant Kadam earned the right to take on compatriot Suhas Yathiraj in SL4 semifinals to assure the country its first medal in badminton from this edition of the Games.
However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated following contrasting defeats in their respective quarterfinals on Sunday.
Competing in SL3 category, Mandeep hardly posed a challenge to Nigeria’s third seed Bolaji Mariam Eniola, losing the contest 8-21 9-21 in 23 minutes.
It was the second consecutive defeat for Mandeep against Eniola, having lost to the Nigerian in the group stage as well.
In SL4 category, para world championship bronze medallist Palak went down fighting 19-21 15-21 to Indonesia’s Khalimatus Sadiyah in 28 minutes.
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