KUALA LUMPUR – The Spanish Badminton Association (Espana Badminton) today confirmed that former Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin has suffered a rupture to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee, the same knee that was operated on in 2019.
Additionally, it has been confirmed that Marin, who retired in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics on Sunday, has two torn menisci.
Marin, the women’s singles gold medallist from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was just 11 points away from reaching her second Olympic final when she collapsed on the court at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, clutching her knee, during her match against China’s He Bingjiao.
The three-time former world champion, who was also forced to skip the Tokyo Olympics three years ago due to a knee injury, tried to continue with the match after putting on a knee guard but was unable to proceed after conceding two more points to Bingjiao.
Ultimately, Marin conceded the match at 21-14, 10-8, before falling and wailing inconsolably.
“Carolina is confirmed to have suffered a rupture of the ACL in her right knee, the same one that was operated on in 2019, along with two torn menisci.
“From all of us at Badminton Spain, we want to send our support to our champion and wish her a speedy recovery,” read a brief statement on social media.
Just a day earlier, Bingjiao, in a touching moment of sportsmanship, displayed a small pin of the Spanish flag when she stood on the podium to receive the silver medal after losing 21-13, 21-16 to South Korea’s An Se-young.
Since Marin retired from her match injured, the bronze medal by default was awarded to Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. – August 6, 2024