Indian para-badminton player and IAS officer Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj added another international medal to his record on October 22, 2026, taking bronze in the men’s singles SL4 at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. His campaign ended in the semifinals after a three-game defeat to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan.
The match was tightly balanced in the opening stages. Setiawan won the first game 21-23, Yathiraj responded strongly to take the second 21-8, and the Indonesian regained control in the decider, winning 15-21.
Yathiraj reached the last four with convincing wins earlier in the competition. He beat Bangladesh’s Joytu Dhar 21-8, 21-11 in the group stage and then defeated Korea’s Cho Nadan 21-12, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
India’s medal count in para badminton
Yathiraj’s bronze came during a successful day for India in para badminton at the Games. Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass secured bronze in mixed doubles SL3–SU5, while Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre also claimed bronze in mixed doubles SH6. Together, these results took India’s overall medal tally at the 2026 Asian Para Games to 68, with 15 gold, 22 silver and 31 bronze.
Athlete profile
Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj was born on 2 July 1983 in Hassan, Karnataka. He is a 2007-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and has served as District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Prayagraj. He graduated in Computer Science and Engineering from NIT Surathkal and competes in the SL4 classification, which is for athletes with lower-limb impairments who retain relatively better walking and running balance.
His record in para-badminton includes two Paralympic silver medals in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 in men’s singles SL4, gold at the 2024 World Championship, gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, and bronze at the 2018 Jakarta edition. He also won gold at the 2016 Asian Para Badminton Championships and received the Arjuna Award in 2021. The source describes him as the only serving IAS officer to have won a Paralympic medal and the Arjuna Award.
The latest podium finish continues Yathiraj’s strong run at major international events while he remains active in public service.
