"I had to quit my job" - Tanisha Crasto's father Clifford Crasto opens up on his challenging decisions for daughter's career
Indian shuttler Tanisha Crasto's parents Clifford Crasto and Tulip had to go through several hardships to help their daughter propel in her career. Tanisha will be competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 in the women’s doubles category along with Ashwini Ponnapa.
Hailing from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tanisha’s father Clifford took the tough decision of leaving his daughter at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad on her 15th birthday, giving wings to her dreams of taking up badminton as a sport.
"I took her to India on her birthday. It was a very brave decision, an emotional decision to leave her alone in a different country," Clifford told PTI.
"She was born and brought up in Dubai. So, it was hard for both of us. But we knew that she had taken the right path and we supported her. We are happy with that decision and happy with where she has reached now," he added.
Goa-born Clifford worked at Intel distributors in Dubai for 18 years but had to leave his job to accompany his daughter at international tournaments.
"It was quite tough for me. I had to travel with her for national, state and international tournaments. I would not get so many leaves as she was playing around 25-30 tournaments in a year. So, I had to quit my job," said Clifford.
Tanisha Crasto made her India debut in 2021
Tanisha Crasto, after competing in the Gulf-based competitions, shifted her base to India in 2018 to represent Goa in the Indian tournaments. She went on to compete for India in the BWF World Junior Championships 2018 and 2019 and the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2019.
In 2021, she joined the Indian senior national badminton team, competing in the Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup competitions. Overall, she has bagged four titles and ended as runner-up on two instances in BWF World Tours. On the other hand, she bagged three titles in BWF International Challenges.
Clifford Crasto and his family will be cheering Tanisha Crasto from the stands at the Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to start on July 26 and conclude on August 11.