Jayce
It’s just a sibling thing: little arguments. Words not spoken, but understanding conveyed. A glance. A gesture.
Bulgarian sisters Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva defeated American twin sisters Annie and Kerry Xu in the women’s doubles Group B quarterfinals, marking a special moment in the Olympic badminton tournament with a sisters’ showdown. As soon as they stepped off the court, they realized how similar their experiences as sisters were.
Stefani: “We fight over the smallest things, but five seconds later, we’re fine again.”
Gabriela: “When we were younger, you could see our expressions on camera, and then our parents would call and ask, ‘Why are you fighting? You’re on the court,’ so we learned to hide it in front of the camera when we went out. We still fight, but we learned to hide it.”
Annie and Kerry Xu nodded in agreement, completely resonating with their Bulgarian opponents’ words.
Annie Xu: “Only we know ourselves. Even if we fight, it’s just for a little while.”
Gabriela: “Sometimes we don’t need to speak; we just look at each other.”
Annie Xu: “Sometimes you don’t have to say sorry; you just need to (tug at her dress).”
Kerry Xu: “We know each other very well, which is an advantage because we’re on the same team. Many times, with others, you might not be able to tell how they feel just by looking at them, but with her, because I’ve known her for so long, I can just look at her and tell, even if she says nothing. If she’s nervous, maybe I’ll help prepare her, shake her a bit to relax, and she’ll do the same for me without needing to.”
Stefani: “I might be more emotional. I take everything too heavily, but she says… ‘It’s okay.’ I might get very angry, but she says, ‘It’s okay, life goes on.’
“We’re always arguing, but we share these moments together because no one else can know, because we are family. I always know how she feels, and she always knows how I feel.”
