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After a raging pandemic robbed her of the chance to play top-notch badminton last year, the New Year has given Dubai’s very own Tanisha Crasto a shot in the arm.
No, it’s not the vaccine that has injected fresh hope in her journey as a young shuttler.
What greeted Tanisha with a beautiful surprise was the latest world junior badminton rankings. And this 17-year-old student from the Indian High School, Dubai, could not stop smiling when she saw the latest world junior rankings that put her name on the ninth place in the girls doubles category — a massive jump from her 25th place in the previous rankings.
“It’s a really great feeling because it’s not the India ranking, it’s the world junior ranking. Of course, I am very happy and my parents are also very happy,” Tanisha, who has already represented India in two junior world championships, told Khaleej Times over phone from Hyderabad.
“It has really motivated me. I think it gives me the confidence that if I can get this rank at the junior level, I can also do very well at the senior level. So I think this has motivated me to train harder and work harder.”
If the year 2020 had not played havoc with our lives, Tanisha could have jumped even higher in junior world rankings.
“For sure, I think if the 2020 was a normal year with the regular tournaments, my ranking would have been in the top five because just before all the Covid-19 situation, we won many international events. It was like a peak for us, you know, we were like on a winning spree,” said Tanisha who partnered Aditi Bhatt until last year.
“I think we were playing really well at that time, so I am pretty sure if we had played more tournaments, we would have won more and our ranking would have been better.”
Tanisha is now in quarantine at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, having arrived in Hyderabad on Thursday. She will be able to join her training partners only after following all the protocols.
“I had gone to Dubai just before the lockdown. I stayed back with my parents in Dubai, it helped in a way as I was able to prepare for my 12th board exam. Now I will be in Hyderabad until February end. I have to be back in Dubai in March for my practical exams. Then I will fly back to Hyderabad in June and prepare for my transition to senior level.”
It was only last year that Tanisha was picked by the Badminton Association of India for the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme — a scheme to groom a select group of young Indian athletes for 2024 and 2028 Olympics Games.
Now with a busy international schedule awaiting her, Tanisha has decided to take the jab.
“I have applied for the vaccine, but I have to wait until I turn 18 in May,” she said.
“My family and I decided that it would be better for me take the vaccine because I would be travelling a lot for tournaments. And also, I am planning to move into the senior level this year. So the vaccine will make it so much easier for me to travel for all the big events.”
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