Noida DM makes it to Paralympics 2021
LUCKNOW: The day remains hectic as it should be for the district magistrate of Noida (Gautam Budh Nagar), Suhas L Yathiraj, as he goes through various administrative measures, including maintenance of law and order. But he doesn’t forget his badminton at night, as this keeps him mentally and physically in shape.
He didn’t miss his routine even during a surge in coronavirus cases, even though the administration of one of NCR’S districts remained his top priority. Suhas’s position as world no 3 in SL 4 category in para badminton kept his stature growing and it paid him rich dividends on Friday when he made it to the seven-member Indian team for the Tokyo Paralympics, starting August 24.
“I was sure to make it to the team due to my current ranking, and it’s like a dream come true,” Suhas, an IAS officer of the 2007 batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, said late on Friday. “I have been in sport for the last many years and have done well at the international level in the past, but my administrative responsibilities always remained my top priority.”
Besides Suhas, another para shuttler Manoj Sarkar too made the cut in men’s singles SL3, and will be joining the team led by world no. 1 Pramod Bhagat through bipartite quota. “It’s true that due to administrative responsibilities, I couldn’t do proper training for the last 3-4 months, but I kept working hard on physical training, especially fitness, as it’s the most important aspect of para badminton.”
Suhas, who possesses 18 international medals, including a bronze medal won at the 2018
Jakarta Asian Para Games, and a gold medal at the 2016 Asia Championship at Beijing, said that now he will start his ‘real’ training soon, as he needs to sharpen his skills before the Paralympics. “Badminton is quite a skilful game and I need to work hard on training now,” he said, adding, “It’s not a very big issue, and I am sure to attain my on-court confidence soon.”
However, he said that his badminton journey starts at night at the Greater Noida Sports Complex nowadays when he trains for a while with his sparring partner. “Yes, it keeps me in good stead and I am hoping to do well at the Paralympics as winning a medal there is one of my big dreams.”
Suhas’s official twitter handle -- @dmgbnagar – reads that for the last 16 months it has been dedicated to dissemination of Covid-19-related information.