Suhas Yathiraj, Nitesh Kumar Keep India On Track For Badminton Gold In Paralympics

Suhas Yathiraj and Nitesh Kumar on Sunday inched closer to their maiden gold medal after progressing to the men's singles final in their respective categories at the Paris Paralympics. While Suhas, a silver medallist from Tokyo Games, is set to become the first Indian shuttler to secure back-to-back medals at the Paralympics after outplaying compatriot Sukant Kadam 21-17, 21-12 in SL4, Nitesh guaranteed a medal for himself in SL3 with a 21-16 21-12 victory over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in another semifinal.

However, Indian shuttler Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost her women's singles SH6 semifinals to China's Lin Shuangbao 13-21, 19-21. She will play for a bronze medal.

The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, will now face France's Lucas Mazur, aiming to settle the score after losing to him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago.

"I still can't believe (back-to-back finals). I thank God. I tried my best and didn't let pressure get to me," Suhas said.

Nitesh, who had lost his left leg after a train accident in 2009, will square off against Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in the summit clash. Bethell, who was the runner-up to Pramod Bhagat in the Tokyo Games, is a formidable opponent, setting the stage for an electrifying final on Monday.

Sukant, meanwhile, will next play for the bronze medal.

With his win, Nitesh, an IIT Mandi graduate, who won three medals, including a singles silver at the Asian Para Games, ensured that India return with a medal from the SL3 category, after Pramod Bhagat clinched the gold when para badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo.

"I have been performing consistently, so I had the self belief that I will make the finals and it feels amazing to actually do that because