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New Delhi: Hunger of winning another Olympic medal has kept Carolina Marin going despite two career-threatening injuries. She ‘accepted pain’ and chose to fight instead of giving up. Marin is currently in the national capital for the India Open 2023 that starts on January 17.
Marin, an Olympic, World, and European champion, sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in her right knee during the 2019 Indonesian Masters final in January. She made a comeback next year.
However, while she was preparing for Tokyo Games, Marin suffered another ACL and tore both menisci in her left knee in June 2021, jeopardising her career. But that didn’t bog down and did everything on her road to recovery before finally returning to action last year.
“Last year was really really tough. I was coming from injury. No active badminton player is (still) playing after two serious injuries but I didn’t want to give up because I have something on my mind. I want to win another medal at the Olympics,” Marin said on Monday.
“It was tough physically but especially mentally. When you have to practice every day with pain, finally you have to accept it as otherwise it frustrates your mind.
“But now I feel really happy and comfortable with myself because around December, I didn’t have any pain. So finally I was able to do some good practise and prepare for one whole month,” added Marin, who will open against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.
Marin has made several visits in India in the past and said she feels at home while playing in this country. “I was surprised when I came here after the finals of Olympic final because I didn’t expect people to love me after I beat Sindhu. It’s like I take this gold medal from this country.
“I feel like I am playing at home. Even though the crowd is Indian, they support me. I am looking forward to playing here,” added Marin.
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