We should give motivation to others through our work, says Paralympic medalist Suhas Yathiraj

Noida District Magistrate (DM) and para-badminton player Suhas L Yathiraj stated how big of a thing is to stand at the podium of the Paralympic Games.

Suhas bagged the silver medal in the recently concluded Tokyo Paralympics 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.

"For any player, it's a very big thing to win a medal at the stage like the Paralympics. I am feeling very honoured about the love, blessings that people gave me when we were playing in Tokyo when we came back also. People are considering this as their medal and I truly want to dedicate this medal to them," Suhas L Yathiraj toldon Wednesday.

"People have also put the Paralympic at a new level and a sports culture has come into the country. I would like to thanks Sports Ministry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that they motivated us before we went and the results have also been good," Yathiraj said.

"I am happy with the silver medal although I wish it was a gold medal. Destiny gives us what we deserve in the end," he added.

Talking about the responsibilities he has as a DM and now as a Paralympic medalist, he said: "We should give motivation to others through our work. We should try to make people realise that 1000 miles of the journey start with one small step. The thing you want to do in your life, you must try to do it. Whether today or tomorrow, you will definitely get success."

Suhas also confirmed that Para athletes will also be facilitated by the Uttar Pradesh government soon. He also said that it's a misconception that sports and academics cannot be pursued simultaneously.

In Tokyo 2020, India won 19 medals, finishing 24th in the overall medal tally among 162 nations competing and ranking 20th on the basis of total medals won. India had won only 12 medals until 2016 since making its Paralympic Games debut in 1968.

( With inputs from ANI )