President Kovind, PM Modi laud Suhas Yathiraj's 'fantastic confluence of service, sports'

President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Noida District Magistrate and para-badminton player Suhas L Yathiraj for winning the Silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympic 2020 while discharging duties as a civil servant and termed it as "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. Best wishes for a future full of accomplishments," President tweeted.

"A fantastic confluence of service and sports!" PM Modi tweeted as he praised Suhas L Yathiraj, who became the first IAS officer to win a medal at the Paralympics after he bagged the silver in badminton men's singles (SL4) in Tokyo . " 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 said.

Lauding the triumph, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "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." Noida District Magistrate and para-badminton player Suhas L Yathiraj bagged the silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday after going down fighting in the final of the men's singles SL4 event against France's Lucas Mazur. Lucas won by 15-21, 21-17, 21-15 in 1 hour and 2 minutes at Court 1 -- Yoyogi National Stadium.

The unseeded Indian started the match swiftly and ran off with a lead of 11-8 at the mid-game interval against the Frenchman. Suhas continued with his superior tactics and agility as he took the first game easily by 21-15 in 20 minutes. He clearly looked like a man on a mission as he matched the top seed and even bettered him in the opening game.