PARIS:Twenty-eight after tennis legend Leander Paes made a medal-winning Olympics debut at the Centennial Games in Atlanta in the US, another athlete with Goan roots will play her first Summer Games when the Paris Olympics 2024 officially begin here on Friday evening.
The unique opening ceremony, to be held on the Siene, is expected to see 7,000 athletes sail down the famous river and among them will be Goan Tanisha Crasto. The 21-year-old Tanisha, born in Dubai to a Goan father from the prosperous village of Assolna, will feature in the badminton women’s doubles competition alongside veteran star Ashwini Ponappa, all set to play her third Olympics.
Previously, the father-son duo of Vece and Leander Paes have done Goa proud. Vece, now 79, was born to mum Marlaque from Velim and dad Peter from Assolna. Vece was a member of the bronze-winning Indian men’s hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Paes senior also featured in the team thatwon bronze at the 1971 hockey World Cup in Barcelona.
Leander, of course, was a darling of the modern generation of tennis lovers in India. A junior Wimbledon champion, the Kolkata-born ebony-hued superstar stunned the world by winning bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The legendary Andre Agassi (gold) and former French Open champion Sergi Bruguera (silver) also finished on the podium.
A doubles specialist with multiple Grand Slam crowns, Leander’s exploits with Mahesh Bhupathi and later with several celebrities like Martina Navratilova in mixed doubles are part of tennis folklore. On July 20 this year, Leander was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Flame.
Tanisha Crasto may be taking her first baby steps towards Olympic stardom but like all happy-go-lucky Goans, the UAE-based family is excited that their daughter is chasing her dreams and living it too.
“I was born in Margao but we are the Crastos of Velim and simply delighted that Tanisha will be at Paris 2024 playing her maiden Olympics,” said Clifford, who moved to Dubai in 1999 to meet his professional commitments. He added: “We as a family will be in Paris to cheer for India and especially boost Tanisha and Ashwini.”
Known for its football and having produced several home-spun national team captains, Goa has hardly produced home-grown Olympians in recent times. The Indian hockey team that won gold in the 1948 London Games had four Goans. According to reports, when women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in 1980, there were four Goans in the squad.
From an individual standpoint, at the 1952 Summer Games, Mary D’Souza was the first Indian woman to attend an Olympics in two sports – athletics and hockey. The other famous Goan was Neville D’Souza, the first Asian footballer to score a hattrick at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. In recent memory, Mervyn Fernandez is another proud Goan to have won an Olympic hockey gold at the 1980 Moscow Games. But Fernandez, like many others, was not born in Goa.
Goa has hardly been represented consistently in global sports competitions. Tanisha’s presence comes as a bit of cheer for the fun-loving state that Goa is. After coming together late in 2022, the journey to the Paris Olympics has been a roller-coaster ride for Ashwini and Tanisha.
They suddenly came into contention with a string of good performances and some big wins. The three-game Round of 16 Malaysia Masters win in January against Japanese pair Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara gave them a lot of confidence as they grabbed crucial points in the Race to Paris rankings.
“When Tanisha and I started the Olympics seemed so far away and not something we could get to. The good thing was we won a few tournaments (like Guwahati Masters) last year, which definitely helped a lot,” said Ashwini Ponappa.
Ashwini and Tanisha are a unique pair. Despite their 14-year age gap, they decided to play together over a meal and their relationship grew stronger on the court as they backed each other perfectly. Tanisha’s youthful aggression and Ashwini’s cool and calculated experience gave them the courage to play the best in the business.
“We were not accidental partners. We both sat down, spoke and decided we would like to play with each other. This is after the coaches suggested that the two of us would make a good pair. This partnership is special as Tanisha is up and coming and has a lot of enthusiasm and I’ve got a lot of experience, which makes it a good combination,” said Ashwini.
“Tanisha is a very hardworking athlete. She has respect for her seniors and juniors too. Whomever she plays with she gives her 100 percent. Her never give up attitude makes her an ideal choice for their partnership,” explains a proud dad, Clifford.
Tanisha and Ashwini will face a tough draw at the Paris Olympics. They feature in Group C and face two tough matches. The Indian duo, currently ranked 19th in the world, start their Paris 2024 women’s doubles campaign at the La Chapella Arena on Saturday. They first face a Korean pair, ranked eighth in the world and then on Sunday take on tournament fourth seeds to complete their group engagements.
“It’s a tough draw, but still good. Our main focus is to do our best and put up a good performance,” said Ashwini. Tanisha is already feeling the pressure but like most debutants, is gripped by some nervous energy. But she has demonstrated her ability under pressure and with Ashwini in the back court, they are quite capable of producing good badminton.
But will Goa really follow the Tanisha-Ashwini pair? In spite of winning several medals for Goa since 2018, Tanisha has never been acknowledged by the Goan sports administrators. That’s been a sore point for the family.
“The less we talk about the Goa badminton association or the Goa government the better. Till date, we are waiting for appreciation from either of them,” said Clifford, adding: “I hope someday they will wake up and start appreciating talent which brings glory to Goa.”