The future looked anything but bright for Brazilian sisters Lohaynny, 4, and Luana Vicente, 6, when their father, a drug dealer, was killed in a shootout with police.
But sixteen years later, the two sisters are elite athletes and rising stars in badminton, a sport little played in a country better known for soccer and surfing.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny hits a return to Delphine Lansac of France during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup.
They have come so far that Lohaynny, now 20, qualified to compete in the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a city that is not just their hometown, but the host of the first Olympics in South America.
"It's the first time Brazil will compete in Olympic badminton and I am the first woman chosen to compete," says Lohaynny, eagerly awaiting the games, which start Aug. 5.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana play against Japanese Chisato Hoshi and Naru Shinoya during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup.
While Luana did not make the cutoff in global rankings, she is proud of having introduced Lohaynny to the sport and playing beside her in doubles, winning a silver medal together at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana hold their silver medals from the 2015 Pan American Games.
"Everyone can go as far as they want," says Luana, dismissing their early hardships. "You have to want it. I wanted this and worked very hard for it."
. BRAZIL. Reuters
Luana (right), 7, celebrates her birthday next to Lohaynny.
As toddlers, the girls moved around frequently with their father as he hid from police and rival drug gangs in Rio's notorious favelas, slums that often lack basic services, including police.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
After their father died in the western part of the city, the girls' mother moved them to Chacrinha, a favela in northern Rio. Though badminton rackets and shuttlecocks are as rare as police in some favelas, a coach had set up a program to teach the sport to kids in the community.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana play during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup.
First Luana, then Lohaynny, excelled.
Now, they live in a house paid for by the Brazilian Badminton Federation in Campinas, near São Paulo. They earn a salary from the federation and enjoy sponsorship deals.
After practicing all day, they study. And occasionally, they get home to Rio, where there mother now lives in a house in a middle-class neighbourhood, not far from the favela where they first swung their rackets.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Standing recently under a set of Olympic rings installed in a Rio park, Lohaynny marvels at their good fortune.
"At times I can't even believe I qualified," she says. "It will only sink in when I'm there with the other athletes, when I begin to compete."
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Slideshow
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana pose for a photograph on the roof of a house in Chacrinha favela.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana play badminton.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Florisbela Vicente, the grandmother Lohaynny and Luana holds a racket of one of her granddaughters.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana, their mother Catia Mendes de Oliveira Vicente (2nd left), 42, and grandmother Florisbela Vicente (2nd right), stand at the Madureira park.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny jokes with her cousin.
. Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Luana holds a soft drink at a relative's bar in Madureira neighbourhood.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny warms up before a game against Delphine Lansac of France during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Luana talks on her mobile phone before the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohanny talks to her coach Marco Vasconcelos of Portugal during the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohanny and Luana stand with their team mates before the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Luana cheers next to her team mates during a game of the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana play against Canadians Stephanie Pakenham and Josephine Wu during the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Campinas, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
The team mates of Luana and Loahynny cheer for them during the XX Pan Am Team Championships 2016.
. Sao Paulo, BRAZIL. Reuters/Nacho Doce
Lohaynny and Luana celebrate a point against Japanese Chisato Hoshi and Naru Shinoya during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup.