Carolina Marín Announces Retirement from Badminton Amid Ongoing Injury Struggles

MADRID — Carolina Marín, celebrated as one of the greatest badminton players of all time, announced her retirement on Thursday, unable to fully recover from a third severe knee injury. The 32-year-old made her declaration via social media, stating, “my journey in professional badminton has come to an end.”

Marín, a significant figure in the sport, holds the distinction of being the only woman from outside Asia to win the Olympic singles title, which she achieved at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Throughout her career, she became the first woman to claim three World Championships, maintained the world No. 1 ranking for a record 66 weeks, and secured an unprecedented seven European Championships.

Her last competitive appearance was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she sustained a second ACL tear in her right knee during the semifinals. At the time of her injury, Marín was leading the match when she collapsed in pain. Despite attempting to continue with a knee brace, she could only manage two additional points and was ultimately unable to partake in the bronze medal match. “I actually did go out while on the court, in Paris in 2024, but we just didn’t know it at that time,” she remarked in her retirement announcement.

The athlete first tore her right knee ACL in 2019 and managed to recover, but later ruptured the ACL in her left knee, which prevented her from defending her Olympic title at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Marín notably came from behind to defeat Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the 2014 World Championships final and successfully retained her title in 2015, adding a historic third crown in 2018.

Prior to her retirement, Marín made her announcement ahead of the European Championships scheduled to take place in her hometown of Huelva, Spain, next month. “I wanted us to see each other for one last time on the court,” she expressed, “but not if it meant putting my body at risk.”

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn