Shuttlers shine as India end on a high
LUCKNOW: Krishna Nagar would hear endless taunts about his short stature in school. The kid though never shied away from playing different sports, from athletics to cricket to volleyball, until he settled on badminton a few years ago.
On Sunday, Nagar silenced all those who had doubted him, finishing on top of the podium at the Tokyo Paralympics. The 22-year-old won gold in the badminton men’s singles SH6 category (players with a short stature due to a genetic condition) beating Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai, the Asian Para Games champion, 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 in the title clash.
It was a second gold by an Indian shuttler in Tokyo. It was also India’s second medal on the final day of competitions after Noida’s district magistrate, Suhas Yathiraj, bagged silver to become the first civil servant to win a medal at the Paralympics. Yathiraj lost to French world No. 1 Lucas Mazur 21-15, 17-21, 15-21 in the final of the SL4 category (player could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal impairment in walking/ running balance).
What started with Bhavina Patel’s historic table tennis medal a week ago ended with a flourish on Sunday, swelling India’s medal count to 19 (five gold, eight silver and six bronze). The landmark campaign saw India finish among the top 25 nations in the medal tally, at 24th. India had won only four medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and had won only 12 medals overall since India first entered the 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics. The Jaipur-based Nagar started playing badminton seriously only four years ago, winning bronze in singles at the 2018 Para Asian Games.
Nagar is 4’ 5”, but his jump smashes stand out. “From a very young age, I have played a lot of sports, be it athletics, volleyball, cricket or football. It’s because of that that my jumps are so high and smooth,” Nagar said.
Yathiraj, who has an ankle impairment, could also have won gold had he not conceded nine points to Mazur while leading in the second game after winning the first 21-15. From 16-all, Mazur raced to 21-17. The two-time world champion raised his level when it mattered, winning the decider 21-15.
A silver is still an outstanding achievement for Yathiraj, who would train by himself in the night after finishing his administrative responsibilities as the district magistrate of UP’S Gautam Buddh Nagar district during the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Yathiraj, 38, a computer engineer from NIT Karnataka, has served as DM of Prayagraj, Agra, Azamgarh, Jaunpur and Sonbhadra districts of the state.
“This medal gives me extreme happiness and also extreme disappointment because I almost had the gold medal in my bag,” he said after the final.
With inputs from Rutvick Mehta