Not taking a break after Olympics left me emotionally drained

Tanisha and her seasoned partner Ashwini, who endured three lopsided losses on the trot to make a group stage exit in Paris, bounced back to put up a dominant performance and defend their Gu-wahati Masters Super 100 title

New Delhi: Tanisha Crasto described her turbulent Olympic debut in Paris as a period of heartbreak, admitting she made the “mistake” of not taking a break afterward, but said reuniting with Ashwini Ponnappa with a renewed approach led to their triumph at the Guwahati Masters. Tanisha and her seasoned partner Ashwini, who endured three lopsided losses on the trot to make a group stage exit in Paris, bounced back to put up a dominant performance and defend their Guwahati Masters Super 100 title on Sunday.

“It’s been a tough transition after the Olympics for everyone, including me and Didi (Ashwini). I made the mistake of not taking a break, and it left me emotionally drained. But Didi took a huge break, and when we reunited, we focused on enjoying the game,” the 21-year-old told PTI Videos.

“We decided not to think about the results, just to go out there and enjoy ourselves. And when we did that, the results followed.” The Paris Olympics was a challenging chapter for Tanisha and all other Indian shuttlers as India returned without a medal for the first time in 12-years.

“It hurts because you’re there, representing your country, and when things don’t go your way, it’s tough to process... I didn’t take a break after the Olympics, thinking it would help me snap out of it.

But as a person, I was a mess, dealing with insane emotions”, she said. For her 35-year-old partner Ashwini, the Olympics marked an emotional turning point as well, as she announced that the 2024 Olympics was her last ever.

“We cried together during an interview, and even

the interviewer was moved to tears,” Tanisha recalled. “It was a mix of emotions, but it strengthened our bond”, she added.

Tanisha also had a runners-up finish alongside her mixed doubles partner Dhruv Kapila going down to Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampra in a tough three-game battle at the Syed Modi International Super 300 event in Lucknow earlier this month.