Badminton players Kati-Kreet Marran and Helina Ruutel of Estonia are through to the quarterfinals at the European Games Minsk 2019, taking place this evening at the Falcon Club. The EOC spoke to the pair about starting their sporting journey, their rituals before the match, and a long friendship being the secret to their accomplishments.

Kati-Kreet Marran and Helina Ruutel form the best badminton duo in Estonia. This is all the more impressive given that they’ve only played together for eight months, starting in November of last year. Their friend, Kristin Kuuba, who used to be Ruutel’s partner, decided to embark on a single’s career, which encouraged the two to build a team of their own.

“Our team dynamic hasn’t really changed,” admits Helina, when asked what the adjustment process has been like.

“We have trained with each other since we were 8 years old, so it wasn’t difficult.” Ruutel and Marran know each other well on and off the court, having started playing badminton after joining Kuuba at a training session ten years ago. They say they fell instantly in love with the sport. Marran was learning the piano in music school at the time, but quickly realised that badminton was the career to go for.

The badminton community in Estonia is quite small, they say, with around 30 people playing in their village and approximately 500 in the whole of Estonia. As a result, the two are particularly impressed with the spectators at the European Games in Minsk so far. “It’s the biggest crowd I’ve had support me in my entire sporting career,” admits the 21-year-old Ruutel.

Marran shares her partner’s sentiments, admitting that she appreciates having Estonians cheering them on in the audience. “There are a lot of [them] here, and it’s really nice to hear their voices,” explains the 20-year-old. “It gives us motivation, and you know that you have to play well for yourself, but for them as well.”

“The European Games are a dream come true. We’ve had a difficult road to get here, many competitions and tournaments. We played well, and now we are really happy that we made it this far.”

After losing their first match against Lefel Emilie and Tran Annie of France, who were awarded the silver medal at the European Badminton Championships last year, the Estonian athletes won their two following competitions here in Minsk, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. How will they prepare for the game this evening?

“Positivity is the key to every match. We will watch some games ahead of the quarterfinals, but we are going to do our best,” says Ruutel. “Before we play, we don’t think about winning or losing, we just enjoy the game and see what happens.”

Like most athletes, it seems, the two have their share of rituals they rigorously follow before entering the court. Besides the usual warm-up exercises and a word of encouragement from their coach, their routine includes a few superstitious traditions.

While Helina insists on taking two sips of her drink before she enters the court, Kati tightens the shoe laces on her right shoe, even if they’re not loose.

“We won the Latvian Badminton International this year, and I did that every time before we played,” says Marran.

Their quick rise to the top is undoubtedly due in no small part to their authentic team dynamic, but would they ever consider going solo?

“I’ve always preferred doubles,” explains Ruutel. “I am left-handed and Kati is right-handed, which is an advantage for us. I also like to be at the front.”

“…and I’m the smasher!” Marran says with a laugh. “Since I started playing with Helina, I’ve realised [doubles] is way more my style.”

Winning a gold medal is every athlete’s dream, but the two girls say they are taking everything one step at a time. After the European Games, the World Championships are on the horizon, but they also hope to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next year.

Ruutel and Marran play against Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova today at 7:15 p.m. at the Falcon Club.