Tokyo Paralympics: Krishna Nagar wins badminton gold; silver for Noida DM Suhas Yathiraj
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 (for 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 final.
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).
The Jaipur-based Nagar, whose short stature is due to growth hormone deficiency, took up badminton on the encouragement of his cousins. He started playing seriously only four years ago, winning bronze in singles at the 2018 Para Asian Games and silver at the 2019 world championships in doubles.
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 in an interaction organised by the Paralympic Committee of India and Eurosport after his win.
After winning the first game in the final, Nagar lapsed into errors to concede the next game. In the decider, Nagar led 11-7 at the break, but Kai drew parity at 14-all. Thereafter, Nagar didn’t allow any breathing space, producing eye-catching cross-court smashes for victory.
“There’s no such thing that one can’t play well if one’s short. I have always believed in that,” Nagar said. “The Paralympics medal is a big achievement for me.”
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 by qualification from NIT Karnataka, has served as DM of Prayagraj, Agra, Azamgarh, Jaunpur and Sonbhadra districts of the state.
His journey into a badminton career started in Azamgarh in 2016 where he inaugurated the UP State Badminton Championship by playing some shots. Current national para coach, Gaurav Khanna, then a chair official, spotted his talent and asked him to purse the game seriously. Yathiraj wasn’t keen initially but decided to give it a shot after a few months. It was a dramatic start. In 2016 itself, he participated in the Asian championships in Beijing, becoming the first non-ranked player to win gold.
“This medal gives me extreme happiness and also extreme disappointment because I almost had the gold medal in my bag. Nonetheless, the silver too is hugely satisfying,” he said over phone after the final.
Badminton made its debut in Tokyo and India ended with four medals. Pramod Bhagat, India’s first gold medallist, could not complete a double, losing the SL3-SH5 mixed doubles bronze medal match with teenaged partner Palak Kohli to Japan’s Fujihara Daisuke and Sugino Akiko 21-23, 19-21. Tarun Dhillon lost to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 17-21, 11-21 in the bronze medal match of the SL4 category.
(With inputs from Rutvick Mehta)
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