Will Suhas Yathiraj be able to upgrade his Paralympic medal in Paris?

The star Indian para-shuttler Suhas Yathiraj will be one of India's top medal contenders at the Paris Paralympics this year. He will be defending his Tokyo Paralympics medal in the men's singles SL4 category.

Before heading to his second Paralympics, Suhas has had a lot of success on the international circuit over the last two years. This includes his maiden World Championships gold medal earlier this year in Thailand.

Let's look at Suhas's journey since the Tokyo Paralympics and his medal chances in Paris:

Silver Medal in Tokyo 2021

At Tokyo, para-badminton made its Paralympics debut, giving Suhas Yathiraj a chance to shine on the world’s biggest stage. He seized this opportunity and qualified for the final of the men’s singles SL4 category, securing a medal on his Paralympic debut. However, he wasn’t able to clinch the title, losing a close three-game final against world No. 1 Lucas Mazur of France and settling for the silver medal.

World Championships Gold

After Tokyo, Suhas didn’t slow down and continued his success on the international stage, resulting in his first-ever World Championships gold medal this year in Pattaya, Thailand. He won the title in the men’s singles SL4 category with a straight-game (21-18, 21-18) victory over Fredy Setiawan of Indonesia in the final. This was his first step toward his quest for Paralympic gold. The biggest result for him was in the semifinals, where he avenged his Tokyo loss by upsetting top-seeded Lucas Mazur of France in a straight-game match to secure his place in the final.

Road to Paris

Suhas will enter the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris as the world No. 1 in the men’s singles SL4 category, having dethroned long-time No. 1 Lucas Mazur in June 2024. This achievement followed two major tournament victories: the Asian Para Games in late 2023 and the World Championships in early 2024. This year, Suhas has competed in four tournaments, earning medals in all four events: one gold, two silvers, and one bronze.

Know your rivals

The SL4 category features a fiercely competitive field with four players vying for the gold medal at the Paris Games, including the current world champion Suhas Yathiraj.

Lucas Mazur (FRA): Lucas is the most consistent badminton player in this category and is also in great form this year. He has won two consecutive tour titles before heading towards the Paris Paralympics.

He has a 10-3 head-to-head record against Suhas in the singles category and holds a 3-1 record after the Tokyo Paralympics, with the only loss occurring at the World Championships.

Mohd Amin Burhanuddin (MAS): The badminton player who has been on the rise since Tokyo is Mohd Amin from Malaysia. He reached the final of four consecutive tournaments in 2023.

However, he has not won a medal in the singles category this year on the tour circuit. He has a 3-4 record against Suhas on the international circuit, with his last victory coming in December 2023.

Fredy Setiawan (INA): Fredy is one of the most experienced and consistent badminton players on the circuit. He has won 5 singles medals in his last 6 tournaments, including reaching the final of the world championships this year.

However, he doesn't have a great head-to-head record against Suhas, with only one win in their last five meetings. Nonetheless, their matches have been closely contested, with 2 out of the 5 matches going into a decider.

Prediction: Gold/Silver

The top-seeded Suhas Yathiraj is a strong contender for a medal at the Paris Paralympics. However, whether he can clinch the gold is still a question.

Home favorite Lucas Mazur poses a significant challenge for Suhas, especially with the support of the local crowd.

Despite this, Suhas aims to replicate his success at the world championships and secure a gold medal. Additionally, Suhas will compete in the mixed doubles category alongside Palak Kohli.

However, this presents a tough challenge for him, as he has only participated in one mixed doubles tournament since the Tokyo Paralympics.