Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj

Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj
Personal information
Country India
Born (1983-07-02) 2 July 1983 (age 41)
Hassan, Karnataka, India
ResidenceGautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Years active2007–present
HandednessRight
CoachGaurav Khanna[1]
Men's singles SL4
Men's doubles SL3–SL4
Highest ranking1 (MS 23 June 2024)
7 (MD with Umesh Vikram Kumar 24 October 2019)
Current ranking1 (MS)
93 (MD with Umesh Vikram Kumar) (8 November 2022)
Medal record
Men's para-badminton
Representing  India
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Men's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Pattaya Men's singles
Asian Para Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Hangzhou Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta Men's team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Beijing Men's singles
BWF profile

Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj (born 2 July 1983) is an Indian para-badminton player and the World No. 1 in men's singles. He won the silver medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games thus becoming the only Indian para-badminton player to win back to back medals at the Games.

Yathiraj is also an IAS officer of the 2007 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre, and has served as District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar & Prayagraj. He won the gold medal at the National Para Badminton Championships in 2018. He is also an engineer who graduated from National Institute of Technology, Surathkal.[2] He is the only IAS officer in India to win a Paralympic medal and an Arjuna Award.[3]

At the 2016 Asian Para Badminton Championships,[4][5] Beijing, China, he became the first Indian bureaucrat to win a professional International Badminton Championship.[6][7] He won gold beating Hary Susanto of Indonesia in the finals when he was serving as District Magistrate of Azamgarh.[8][9][10] He came to International attention when he won gold and became first ever serving Indian bureaucrat to represent and win a medal for India at global level.[11][12]

In December, 2016, he became the recipient of Uttar Pradesh's highest civilian honor, the Yash Bharti,[13] which he received on 1 December 2016 from the erstwhile Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav. On 3 December, World Disabilities Day, he received award from the state government for his performances in para sports.[14] He also holds distinctive record for winning many awards while serving in his official capacity.[15][16] He has been awarded for his performances by Governor of Uttar Pradesh for his duties related to elections, by Revenue Minister and Chairman, Board of Revenue for duties regarding revenue administration. Suhas is also supported by GoSports Foundation through the Para Champions Programme.[17]

Since his appointment in February 2023, he is serving as the Secretary and Director General of Youth Welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal, a department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.[18]

  1. ^ शर्मा, दिनेश (6 September 2021). "साई कोच एमएम पांडेय और गौरव खन्ना ने खोजा पैरा बैडमिंटन का नायाब हीरा सुहास एलवाई (Sai coach MM Pandey and Gaurav Khanna discovered the unique diamond Suhas LY of para badminton)". Navodaya Times. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Suhas LY, India's First Specially-abled IAS To Represent The Country At Paralympics In Tokyo". IndiaTimes. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY receives Arjuna Award". Hindustan Times. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Asian Para-Badminton Championships 2016". Badminton World Federation. Beijing, China. 27 November 2016.
  5. ^ "China shine at Asian Para Badminton Champs". www.paralympic.org. Beijing, China. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. ^ "यशभारती मिलने पर जताई खुशी". Amar Ujala. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  7. ^ "जीत और सम्मान के बाद बढ़ गया दायित्व: सुहास". Amar Ujala. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Manoj, Yathiraj and Parul win titles". The Hindu. Beijing, China. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. ^ https://supremo.nic.in/ERSheetHtml.aspx?OffIDErhtml=17346&PageId [dead link]
  10. ^ "UP IAS officer wins gold in Asian Para-Badminton Championships". Hindustan Times. Beijing, China. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  11. ^ "IAS officer, Suhas Yathiraj wins gold in Para-Badminton Championships". www.India.com. UP, India. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  12. ^ "आजमगढ़ के डीएम सुहास ने बीजजंग मे़ लहराया जिरंगा". Amar Ujala. UP, India. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  13. ^ "After welcome at Azamgarh, DM Suhas to receive Yash Bharti". The Times of India. UP, India. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  14. ^ "गोल्ड जीतने वाले आजमगढ के कलेक्टर". BBC. UP, India. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna: MSY's Azamgarh tops UP, sixth in country". The Times of India. UP, India. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  16. ^ "PMJDY: MSY's Azamgarh tops UP, sixth in country". The Times of India. Varanasi, U.P., India. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  17. ^ RS, Prasad (4 May 2020). "Para-shuttler Suhas Yathiraj happy fighting Covid-19". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Suhas L Y IAS posted as Secretary- Sports and Youth Welfare, UP". Indian Bureaucracy. 28 February 2023.