Indian badminton player Suhas Yathiraj entered the final of the men’s singles badminton SL4 class on Saturday at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. En route to the final, he breezed past Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-15 in 31 minutes in the semifinal.

Yathiraj, who is also the Noida District Magistrate, will face top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the final on Sunday. He is also ranked 3rd in the world in his category.

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2007 batch has been busy fighting the Covid pandemic since joining his current bureaucratic role in April 2020, but hopes to clinch a medal and make the country proud. Although he is assured of at least a silver.

“Over the years, we have seen that small margins make the difference between winners and losers. I have lost games with a margin of millimetres and won by centimetres. When I compete in Tokyo, I know every player will be there hoping to win a medal,” the 38-year-old had said before the start of the Paralympics.

Also Read | Double joy at Paralympics, Indian shooters win gold and silver

“I believe in the teachings of Bhagvat Geeta. Do your deed and you will get the results. I am not putting myself under any pressure. If God has brought me to this level, then I am going to put in all my efforts,” he said.

“As far as the medal is concerned, being world number three, it is obvious to hope for a medal. But again, as it is said, you do your duty, the result is destiny,” the shuttler added.

Suhas has previously worked as the district magistrate in around half a dozen districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Allahabad and Azamgarh, and competed in national and international events.

Other results:

Pramod Bhagat reached the final in SL3 class

Manoj Sarkar will fight for the bronze medal in the SL3 class

Tarun Dhillon will fight for the bronze medal in the SL4 class