Fantastic confluence of service and sports: Modi to Suhas Yathiraj

SPORTS DESK: Suhas L Yathiraj, who is the District Magistrate of Noida, became the first IAS officer to win a medal at the Paralympics after he took home the silver in badminton men’s singles (SL4) in Tokyo on Sunday. Yathiraj showed great spirit in the final, but was eventually beaten by world no.1 Lucas Mazur of France.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were among the first to congratulate Yathiraj on his heroics at the Tokyo Paralympics.

“A fantastic confluence of service and sports! Suhas Yathiraj has captured the imagination of our entire nation thanks to his exceptional sporting performance. Congratulations to him on winning the Silver medal in Badminton,” PM Modi tweeted.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to him. On earlier occasions also he won many medals. Along with efficiently discharging his administrative duties, he has been successful in Paralympics,” ANI quoted Yogi Adityanath as saying.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also tweeted a congratulatory message to Yathiraj.

President Ram Nath Kovind said that Yathiraj’s dedication to pursuing badminton while also discharging his duties as a civil servant is “exceptional.

“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,” he tweeted.

Suhas Yathiraj started off well in the final, but eventually went down 21-15, 17-21, 15-21 to Mazur. His silver was India’s 18th medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.