Carolina Marin (R) of Spain reacts after retiring from the badminton women's singles semifinal match between He Bingjiao of China and Carolina Marin of Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 4, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Carolina Marin, the tenacious Spanish badminton star, donned her knee brace and stepped back onto the court, signaling her contender, He Bingjiao, to resume their semifinal match.

Despite her valiant efforts, after a few rallies, Marin collapsed to her knees by the sidelines, unable to continue.

In Sunday's women's singles semifinal at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Marin, who had taken the first set 21-14 and led 10-6 in the second, faced a devastating blow when a fall aggravated her knee injury. The impairment forced the three-time world champion to retire after losing another two points.

This isn't Marin's first encounter with Olympic heartbreak. The Rio gold medalist had to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to a torn knee ligament, a painful decision announced just two months before the event.

Undeterred, Marin clawed her way back to form, capturing two Badminton Open titles and securing her unprecedented seventh European title in 2024.

Carolina Marin (1st R) of Spain greets the audience after retiring from the badminton women's singles semifinal match between He Bingjiao of China and Carolina Marin of Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 4, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Determined and resilient, the Spanish No. 4 seed, who has endured two knee surgeries, made a bold comeback at the Paris Olympics. She advanced from the group stage, triumphing over Beiwen Zhang of the United States and Aya Ohori of Japan in the knockout rounds, showcasing her unyielding spirit and championship caliber.

When asked if she aspired to emulate compatriot Pablo Abian's five Olympic appearances, Marin's response was unequivocal: "No, (I don't want to be) like him. When I come to the Olympics, I don't come to just play and win or lose one game. If I go to an Olympics, it's because I want to win here."

Marin's resolve was palpable as she walked off the court with tears in her eyes, but her head held high, refusing to be wheelchair-exited after her withdrawal.

Although the 31-year-old veteran was absent from the mixed interview zone, her opponent He Bingjiao, shared Marin's encouraging words: "She told me to 'keep on working, keep on fighting.'"

As the European champion vowed when she missed the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 27, "It's a new hard blow I have to face, but I have no doubt I'll be back."

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