'Without their (family) support I wouldn't have been what I am today. They never stopped me from pursuing my dreams in badminton. They always backed me and motivated me to achieve greater heights in my sport.'
His eyes firmly set on the top-podium finish in Paris after missing gold in the last edition of the Paralympic Games, para badminton player Suhas L Yathiraj is hoping to bring smiles on the faces of his family, which has sacrificed a lot as he has pursued his goal with single-minded determination for the last three years.
A 2007 batch IAS officer, Suhas won the silver (SL-4 category) at the Tokyo Paralymics. He served as the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar during the COVID crisis and was also the DM of Prayagraj.
An Arjuna awardee, Suhas is currently posted as the secretary and director-general of Youth Welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal, a department under the Uttar Pradesh government.
Suhas admits the journey to become the best in the business has not been easy.
"I have sacrificed my personal life a lot. I dedicated my personal life to sports. In the last six months, besides my job, I have been devoting considerable time to my sport," Suhas told PTI in an interview ahead of the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris, where he is a medal prospect.
"You cannot get everything in life, everyone has to prioritise things when you aspire to represent the country. You should enjoy whatever you are doing. Enjoy the process.
"The real secret is to enjoy what you do," he added.
Suhas is married to Ritu Suhas, a PCS officer currently posted as ADM (Administration) in Ghaziabad.
His daughter Saanvi is five-years-old and son Vivaan is two-years-old.
Suhas said the real backbone behind his success in sports is the unstinted support of his family.
"Without their (family) support I wouldn't have been what I am today. They never stopped me from pursuing my dreams in badminton. They always backed me and motivated me to achieve greater heights in my sport," he said.
Suhas is currently ranked world No.1 in his category and aspires to win gold but says he is not taking any pressure.
"Everything is going good till now, the preparation, the run-up to the Games. But I don't wan't to take pressure. I can't be complacent because every match start from 0-0, I don't want to think too much ahead," he said.
"This time every match is a knockout as I am starting from the pre-quarterfinals. The real focus will be to apply myself in every match, just go and perform to the best of my abilities."
Even though he will be starting as one of the favourites, Suhas is pragmatic.
"I will be taking it one match at a time. I never ever imagined in my life I would be playing the Paralympics and be a professional badminton player. I was always into studies after my disability, but through sports I got a mission in life," he said.
"I believe in taking things as they come; focus on efforts and the results will automatically follow. I hope I become an inspiration for many," Suhas added.
