On a somber Saturday evening in Paris, Clifford Crasto, along with his wife Tulip and son Cristiano, joyfully welcomed the Parisian drizzle as they queued to enter the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, the site of the badminton competitions at the Paris Olympics. The culmination of years of dedication was about to yield its most gratifying reward as Clifford and Tulip's daughter, Tanisha, stood on the brink of fulfilling her life's grandest aspiration. The Dubai-raised badminton player is representing India, her ancestral homeland, at the Olympics.
However, hours before Tanisha's debut in the women's doubles, her family was not the sole contingent of supporters eagerly awaiting her Olympic moment. Sydelle Varella, a former classmate from Indian High School in Dubai, had just journeyed from London to Paris to root for her closest friend. Tanisha, 20, and Sydelle, who grew up in the same Bur Dubai neighborhood and shared the same school bus, were inseparable and shared both daily joys and a lofty dream: Tanisha's to compete in the Olympics and Sydelle's to cheer her on from the stands.
"We've been friends since first grade in Dubai. She was already playing badminton before we met, so we became very close. Even back then, she dreamt of the Olympics and would say, 'When I make it to the Olympics, you have to be there to watch me, no matter where in the world you are,'" Sydelle recounted to the Khaleej Times via phone from Paris. "So, I made sure to be here."
After Tanisha moved to Hyderabad to train at the renowned Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in 2018, Sydelle's family relocated to the UK, where she is currently interning at a pharmaceutical company. Despite the vast distance, their bond has remained unshaken.
Although Tanisha and her partner, doubles veteran Ashwini Ponnappa, were defeated by South Korea's world number eight pair Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in their first match in Paris, the spirits of the Crasto family and Sydelle remained undeterred. "I'm at a loss for words to describe how it feels to see her playing at the Olympics while I'm here to watch. It's incredibly moving. All the dreams she had as a child have come true. I'm so proud of her," Sydelle expressed.
"She's put in so much effort, I've watched her train relentlessly to reach her goals, often even on weekends. When I learned she'd qualified for the Olympics, I knew I had to be here, no matter what. It was tough, as I'd just started an internship, but I felt I had to come to Paris because Tanisha is playing." Tulip was deeply touched to see Sydelle and her brother, Sinclair, in Paris for Tanisha's Olympic debut. "It's wonderful to see them after six years. We used to live in the same building, they were in the same class, the same school. Their presence has made this moment even more special," she remarked.
