Source: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] In the women’s singles semifinals at the Paris Olympics, Spanish star Carolina Marin faced Chinese player He Bingjiao. During the match, Marin completely dominated He Bingjiao in both speed and play style, having a great chance to reach the finals and even win her second Olympic gold medal. Unfortunately, Marin accidentally fell while executing a smash, resulting in a knee injury. At that moment, Marin was devastated and knelt down crying, ultimately being forced to withdraw from the match. Three years ago, Marin was a favorite to win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but faced two major injuries just before the Olympics: a torn right knee ligament in early 2019 and a torn left knee ligament in May 2021, which led her to withdraw from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Missing out on medals in two consecutive Olympics has made Marin start considering her future. Yesterday, Marin gave her first media interview after surgery, discussing her injuries and retirement issues. She stated that this is the heaviest blow of her entire career. Her initial goal was to return to Spain with an Olympic gold medal in women’s singles badminton, but fate had other plans; she received a “medal” more meaningful than gold—immense support and love from fans worldwide. Given her previous knee injuries over the past few years, her recovery journey after this surgery will be exceptionally challenging. Marin admitted that the prospects for her comeback are very bleak and she does not know if she can pick up a badminton racket again; she may retire.