Madrid, March 27 — Spanish badminton icon Carolina Marín has announced her retirement from professional sport following a serious knee injury sustained during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Sharing the news on social media, the 32-year-old expressed gratitude for her journey, calling it “wonderful” and thanking everyone who played a role in her career. She added that she would carry forward the values the sport instilled in her and hoped to give back to society in the future.
Marín’s retirement brings the curtain down on an extraordinary career that includes three World Championship titles (2014, 2015, 2018) and a historic Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016. She also dominated European badminton, winning seven continental titles and reaching the world No. 1 ranking.
Reflecting on her legacy, Marín said she takes pride not only in her achievements but also in earning respect within the sporting world and elevating badminton’s profile in Spain.
Her career was derailed by a knee injury during the Olympic semifinal against China’s He Bingjiao, who later paid tribute to Marín by wearing a Spanish Olympic Committee badge on the podium after securing silver.
Although Marín had initially aimed to return for the upcoming European Championships in her hometown of Huelva, she ultimately decided against risking further damage, choosing instead to step away from the sport.
