Youth OlympicsBadminton player Tanvi Patri recently won a silver medal at the Youth Olympics, but for her father, Rabinarayan Patri, this is just the beginning. Tanvi achieved this success despite numerous challenges off the court, including long journeys, dealing with mosquitoes, and staying in rooms without air conditioning. In the final, held in Dakar, Senegal, 15-year-old Tanvi played an 82-minute match against 17-year-old Chinese player Zhang Yi Xin.
A Long and Tiring Journey
Rabinarayan Patri mentions that a silver medal was expected, so it wasn’t exactly a major surprise. He notes that the journey to the World Juniors took 28 hours, while the trip to the Youth Olympics lasted 44 hours. According to him, "Complaining doesn't change anything, but if we don't pay attention to the comfort of athletes of this generation, they become irritable and that’s counterproductive."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanvi had to return to Odisha from China, where her father had been working as an IT professional. She spent a year training in her home state. Her father shares, "She would train even in 50-degree heat and intense humidity, which helped build her endurance. She never shies away from hard work. However, in Dakar, she called on the very first day to say that there were mosquitoes in the rooms and no air conditioning. Furthermore, long-haul travel really takes a toll on her.
A Father’s Unique Perspective
While Rabinarayan Patri praises his daughter’s comeback from a 10–19 deficit—during which she saved six match points—he believes this achievement warrants no more than five minutes of celebration. "If she celebrates this, what will she have left to celebrate when she wins a major Olympic medal?" he asks. In his view, a good meal and a sound sleep constitute the best form of celebration. Drawing inspiration from the Chinese model, he remarks, "This is just the beginning; she hasn’t truly achieved anything significant yet."
Before the Dakar Games, Tanvi had also been ill for seven days. Funding for the World Juniors did not arrive on time, necessitating last-minute arrangements. Rabinarayan recalls the grueling journey: a 12–15 hour trip from Guwahati to Delhi, followed by a 6–7 hour flight, and then a 4.5-hour wait at the airport—without food or water—for the organizers' transport to arrive. She suffered from dehydration and battled a fever for seven days.
Raising a New Generation of Athletes
The journey to the Olympics was even more arduous, despite the presence of academy coach Umendra Singh Rana and a physiotherapist. Her father explains that after leaving Bengaluru at 8:00 AM, Tanvi spent until 10:00 PM in administrative offices in Delhi because a member of the Indian contingent had lost their documents. This was followed by a 21-hour flight to Dakar. In total, the journey from Bengaluru to Dakar took 44 hours. "We must reduce transit times and plan better," Rabinarayan insists. "Athletes cannot perform at their best under such conditions."
To deal with mosquitoes, they managed the situation by using mosquito coils and repellent. Furthermore, their triple-layered blankets and bedsheets were stolen from the Games Village. Rabinarayan notes that complaining changes nothing; therefore, one must simply be prepared. From January, Tanvi will focus on her 10th-grade board examinations. Her father says, "I’ve told her, 'Even if you fail, it’s perfectly fine.' In fact, it might even be a good thing." Rabinarayan Patri emphasizes that athletes of 'Generation Alpha' are raised quite differently.
He explains, "Look, Tanvi doesn’t like waking up early in the morning. If you expect her to get up at 5:00 AM and attend a team meeting by 8:30 AM, she’ll just get annoyed. I let her sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 AM. Then, she has a good breakfast, followed by a solid training session. For this generation, that’s how things work best."
Preparing for the Future and Finding Motivation
However, her father who is deeply passionate about badminton has prepared her for the challenges she faces on the court. He adds, "Sometimes, I deliberately provoke her to teach her how to control her temper. No matter what someone says, she needs to learn to manage her reaction to their words." Rabinarayan has also instilled on-court discipline in her. He says, "Always respect your opponent. Never shout or over-celebrate a point—because if you end up losing, the disappointment only becomes harder to bear. Learn to simply let things go.
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