Carolina Marin shares injury update: “I would love to retire on the court”
Speaking to reporters at a gala in Madrid, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion provided an update on her rehab, shared her ambitions for the future and reflected on the special “bond” between her and He Bingjao.
Badminton
Carolina Marin has signalled her intention to return to the badminton court.
The 31-year-old Spaniard, who ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the semi-final of the women’s singles event at Paris 2024, told media at the Relevo X Change gala in Madrid on Thursday (14 November) night that she would be targeting a comeback but in her own time.
“There’s no rush, but it’s been non-stop rehab. Since I broke my knee in Paris, I have not picked up a badminton racket. It is important to build up the muscles again first," Marin said
"I go step by step; I would love to retire on the court, but I’m not in a rush. It is a dream but not an obsession.”
The Spanish shuttler is all too familiar with the rehabilitation process required for an ACL. In 2019, Marin suffered a rupture in the right knee before experiencing the same injury in the left two years later.
It’s also why, when she fell in Paris, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion sensed immediately what had happened: “When I heard the knee, I knew it was the end,” she recalled.
Carolina Marin and He Bingjiao at the Revelo X Change Gala
"We have a real bond between us"
But one of the most devastating moments of the Games was transformed into one of the most heartwarming, thanks in part to Marin’s then semi-final opponent He Bingjao.
The 27-year-old from the People’s Republic of China progressed to the event final on a bye after Marin’s withdrawal but wouldn’t let the Spaniard’s heartbreak be forgotten.
Upon receiving her silver medal in the victory ceremony, He held up the medal in one hand and a Team Spain Olympic pin in the other. It was a moment of Olympic spirit and just as it moved the world, it touched Marin too.
“When I saw it with my own eyes, I was very shocked at the beginning and then I just felt gratitude,” Marin said describing how she felt seeing He’s selfless act.
“I know Chinese culture very well and it’s not easy what she did - having me in mind at that moment on the Olympic podium. Sometimes I even think if I would have done it, and I don’t think so. I will never forget that moment, and I’ll be forever grateful.
She continued: “Since that moment in Paris, we have a real bond between us.”