Paralympic Triumphs and Challenges: Yathiraj, Kumar Shine Amidst Setbacks

Tokyo Games silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar have advanced to the men's singles SL4 and SL3 semifinals, respectively, at the Paralympics. Murugesan Thulasimathi also secured a spot in women's SU5 semifinals. However, Manasi Joshi and Manoj Sarkar were eliminated after successive defeats.

Tokyo Games silver medallist shuttler Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar continued their impressive run by securing spots in the men's singles SL4 and SL3 semifinals, respectively, at the Paralympics on Friday.

Murugesan Thulasimathi also made it to the women's singles SU5 semifinals after topping Group A, defeating Portugal's Beatriz Monteiro 21-12, 21-8 in her second win of the group stage.

Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, overcame Korea's Shin Kyung Hwan 26-24, 21-14 in his second match, topping Group A in the SL4 category. Meanwhile, Nitesh Kumar, a 29-year-old IIT Mandi graduate, dominated China's Yang Jianyuan with a convincing 21-5, 21-11 victory, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A of the SL3 category.

However, it was a disappointing day for Manasi Joshi and Manoj Sarkar, both suffering their second consecutive defeats, ending their hopes of reaching the semifinals. Manasi, the 2019 World Champion, narrowly lost to Ukraine's Oksana Kozyna 21-10, 15-21, 21-23, while Tokyo bronze medallist Manoj lost 19-21, 8-21 to Thailand's Bunsun Mongkhon.