Meet Danyelle and T’shelle Barnes, T&T national badminton athletes and sisters from St Francis of Assisi RC Church in Sangre Grande where they are presently confirmation candidates. Both sisters attend St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph and are regular attendees at Mass where Danyelle can often be found executing her duties as an altar server at Sangre Grande RC Church.

When Danyelle was nine and T’shelle was seven, their parents started looking for a sport to get them involved in. As there were limited options in Sangre Grande, they decided to try badminton, which a friend recommended, and it was an instant love affair for their girls as they both took an instant liking to it. So much so that in 2017, one year after beginning the sport, young T’shelle was nominated for the First Citizens Bank Junior Female nominee for badminton.

Danyelle is a bronze and silver medallist at the CARABECO (Caribbean Badminton Championships) Badminton Games while T’shelle is a gold, silver and bronze medallist. Apart from both competing in CARABECO, they have also represented T&T at the Pan American Junior Badminton Championships.

One of the most beautiful things about the Barnes sisters is that they are sisters, competitors and friends. While every family has some level of sibling rivalry, theirs is sprinkled with generous portions of love as they share a great relationship and often train with each other.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, their parents decided to introduce them to tennis as an alternative, but their heart was not in it, their love remained with badminton.