Carolina Marin

Jayce September 6, 2024 1 1

Character Introduction

Carolina Marín, a Spanish badminton player, won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Marín hails from Huelva, Spain, and like many girls from Andalusia, she took traditional Flamenco dance lessons from ages 3 to 12. At the age of 8, she was introduced to badminton through a friend and was fascinated by the large racket and flying shuttlecock. Initially playing the sport casually, Marín quickly showed her talent in badminton.

At 14, Marín was discovered by Fernando while he was attending a U15 competition. She then moved to Madrid to pursue professional training in badminton, leaving her hometown and her parents behind. From then on, Marín began to build a stellar career, winning the European U17 and U19 championships and becoming a top European player. Due to the lack of suitable training partners, she had to practice with male players to improve her skills. In the 2014 season, she participated in the league in Denmark.

In August 2011, Marín competed in the women’s singles at the World Badminton Championships in London. She reached the Round of 16 after defeating Dutch veteran Yao Jie and the 15th seed Japanese player Eriko Hirose, but was eliminated by the eventual runner-up, Taiwan’s Cheng Shao-chieh. In November of the same year, Marín won the bronze medal in women’s singles at the World Junior Badminton Championships held in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

In 2012, Marín represented Spain at the London Olympics. In the group stage, she lost 0-2 to China’s Li Xuerui and won 2-0 against Peru’s Claudia Rivero Mendez, but was eliminated after finishing second in her group.

In August 2013, Marín competed in the women’s singles at the World Badminton Championships in Guangzhou, China. She defeated Indonesian player Adrianti Fildasari 2-0 in the first round and 14th seed Thai player Busanan Ongbamrungphan 2-1 in the second round. She then overturned a set deficit to beat 5th seed Korean player Sung Ji-hyun 2-1 in the third round. However, in the quarter-finals, she lost 1-2 to 4th seed Thai player Ratchanok Intanon, finishing in the top 8. This performance was the best by a Spanish player in the history of the World Championships.

On August 31, 2014, at the World Badminton Championships held in Copenhagen, Denmark, Marín made history by winning the women’s singles title. In the final, she came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Li Xuerui 2-1, becoming the first Spanish player to win a World Championships women’s singles title.

On August 16, 2015, Marín successfully defended her women’s singles title at the World Championships by defeating Indian player Saina Nehwal 2-0. This victory made her the first non-Chinese player to successfully defend the World Championships women’s singles title.

On August 19, 2016, in the women’s singles final at the Rio Olympics, Marín defeated Indian player P.V. Sindhu 2-1 (19-21, 21-12, 21-15), winning the gold medal. This was Spain’s first gold medal in badminton at the Olympics, and Marín became the second non-Asian player to win an Olympic singles title, achieving a career Grand Slam.

On August 5, 2018, at the World Badminton Championships, Marín won the women’s singles title by defeating Sindhu 21-19, 21-10 in just 45 minutes. On September 16, 2018, at the Japan Open, Marín won the women’s singles title by defeating Nozomi Okuhara 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 21-11).

On June 1, 2021, the BWF confirmed that Marín would miss the Tokyo Olympics due to knee surgery. Later in December of the same year, Marín withdrew from the World Championships due to ongoing injury issues.

On March 25, 2022, Marín announced her return to competitive badminton at the European Badminton Championships in Madrid, Spain, scheduled for late April.

In March 2024, Marín competed in the All England Badminton Championships, where she defeated Chen Yufei, Tai Tzu-ying, and Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals, respectively. She reclaimed the All England title, breaking a 9-month title drought.

On August 4, 2024, Marín competed in the women’s singles semi-finals at the Paris Olympics. She had to retire in the second game due to a knee injury and withdrew from the bronze medal match, ultimately finishing fourth in the women’s singles.

World Ranking – Women’s Singles 4, Week 35, 2024

Olympic Points – Women’s Singles 3, 93736 points

Finals Ranking – Women’s Singles 23, 36110 points