KUALA LUMPUR – What happened to Spain’s Carolina Marin on Sunday was heartbreaking and should never befall any athlete.
Marin suffered another anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and was forced to retire in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics when she was leading China’s He Bingjiao 21-14, 10-8.
Scenes at the Porte de La Chapelle quickly turned painful to watch, as the three-time former world champion fell to the ground and wailed inconsolably, knowing well she could not continue with the match.
Despite the pain, Marin refused to get in a wheelchair and instead went over to hug Bingjiao and wished her well for the final.
“On Sunday, I suffered one of the hardest moments of my life. A few days later, I think I’ll need more time to assimilate.
“I suppose life makes us deal with situations that we don’t want to live and that nobody deserves, but we have to accept it and handle it in the best possible way,” Marin said in a social media post after Badminton Spain (Badminton Espana) posted an update about her.
“I have never received so much love – it has been immeasurable. But I’m sure you’ll let me single out one person. I wished He Bingjiao all the best in the final because sportsmanship was above all else.
“But the moment on the podium is one of the loveliest gestures anyone has ever made to me, and I will always be incredibly grateful to her,” added Marin in response to her opponent displaying a small pin of Spain’s flag after receiving the silver medal.
Bingjiao lost in straight games to South Korea’s An Se-young 21-13, 21-16, while Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung was automatically awarded the bronze medal since Marin retired from the competition with an injury.
“I wouldn’t like to finish without remembering that sometimes we use sports as an example for life – and this was also the case on Sunday.
“If you work hard and try harder than anyone else to achieve your dreams, they can come true. But it doesn’t always happen.
“I fulfilled the dreams of the little girl who left Huelva a long time ago, but I had others to fulfil. It doesn’t matter – life goes on, and I will keep on looking for my dreams.
“Now another journey begins, but I already know it,” ended Marin’s statement.
It remains to be seen if her cryptic post is hinting at the end of an illustrious career, but after undergoing a couple of knee surgeries since 2019, one could not help but sympathise with the legend, who had been an absolute joy to watch with her powerful skills. – August 6, 2024