Vigo, Spain, Oct 13.- Sports might not seem related to the unsettling geopolitics of the current world, but Carolina Marín firmly and tenderly shared her inspiring story at the Vigo Global Summit.
A multiple-time world champion and gold medalist in badminton at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, at the age of 32, she seems determined to complete her journey toward Los Angeles 2028 after recovering from knee injuries on three occasions.
The only non-Asian athlete to win Olympic gold in the Brazilian city in 2016, she was unable to defend her title in Tokyo due to an injury. However, the greatest drama unfolded during the semifinals of Paris 2024 when, just 10 points away from reaching the final, she injured her left knee again.
Resilience is not just a temporary attitude; it is conviction and effort, perseverance, the journey of climbing toward goals with great patience—all of which is applicable to various spheres of life, reflected Marín, originally from Huelva, Andalusia.
In a conversation led by the president of the EFE Agency, Miguel Angel Oliver, the badminton player emphasized that learning is a long battle filled with sacrifices, culminating in the ultimate reward of greater visibility — the attainment of a medal, although the entire journey encapsulates the greatest merit.
Her heartbreaking tears after injuring herself in the semifinal of Paris shocked Spain in 2024, the same year she was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for her extraordinary achievements.
Carolina Marín acknowledged that the supremacy of Asian players in badminton is very noticeable, but it poses a challenge for athletes who also wish to compete with China and other key players, much like in the spheres of geopolitics and international economics.
Among the curiosities of her sport, she noted that it is the racket sport with the highest speed in the launch of the shuttlecock (known as “brincolin” or badminton ball) at 565 kilometers per hour, with 16 goose feathers positioned to the left to follow the direction of the clock's hands.
She began her athletic career at the age of eight when she discovered badminton while starting her learning of flamenco dancing, which is part of the Andalusian DNA.
Marín stated that consistency and willpower are indispensable tools for success in life in general, and particularly in sports, comments that resonate with the Vigo Global Summit, which also features the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, Daron Acemoglu.
