"No Greater Feeling": Suhas Yathiraj To NDTV On Winning Tokyo Paralympics Silver

Tokyo Paralympics silver-medallist and Noida District Magistrate Suhas Yathiraj said that as an athlete, there is no greater feeling than being on the podium. The para badminton player won the silver medal in the men's singles SL4 category, losing to French world no.1 Lucas Mazur in the final. "There's no greater feeling than being on the podium, winning medal for an athlete," he told NDTV. He said that to win a medal for the country was "a huge honour". "I am thankful for the love and support from the country. The medal belongs to the entire country," he said.

Yathiraj spoke about his journey and said that it showed how will power and determination can change things around for a person.

He said he came from a small village in rural Karnataka and faced difficulties growing up.

"We used to look at airports dreaming to sit in it one day," he said.

"Fortunate to get best engineering college in Karnataka, being an IAS officer and now a Paralympic medallist," he said

Yathiraj revealed that he had thrice been rejected from getting admission into English medium schools.

"Now I speak English. It shows grit and determination will make things happen," he said.

So, what's his message for the youth of the country?

"Journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step. Take that first step and don't have regrets. Do what you love to do," he said.

And is he taking a break after the Paralympics?

"Just a day after coming back, I resumed work as I have a passion to work as a civil servant, like my game," Yathiraj said.

He also said that with the Paralympics over, badminton will take a back seat as he will be focusing on administrative work for now. "Will be back on the court soon," he said, however.