Carolina Marín facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carolina Marín |
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Marín in 2014
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| Birth name | Carolina María Marín Martín | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 June 1993 Huelva, Andalusia, Spain |
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| Height | 1.72 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2009–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Ranking | 1 (11 June 2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current Ranking | 4 (27 August 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Carolina María Marín Martín (born June 15, 1993) is a famous badminton player from Spain. She is known for being an Olympic Champion, winning the World Championships three times, and the European Championships eight times! She was even ranked as the number one women's singles player in the world for a total of 66 weeks.
Carolina is the only player in history to win at least seven gold medals in a single type of continental championship. She has won every European Championships title since 2014. She also won the Olympic gold medal in women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This made her the only non-Asian female player to win an Olympic badminton gold medal.
In 2024, Carolina Marín received the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. This is a very important award in Spain.
Contents
Early Life and Beginning in Badminton
When Carolina was a child, she loved to dance flamenco. But then a friend showed her badminton. She quickly fell in love with the sport. She decided to stop dancing and focus completely on badminton.
She started playing badminton at age eight in her hometown of Huelva. To train at the National Centre, she had to leave her family and move to Madrid when she was very young.
Career Highlights
First Big Wins (2009–2011)
In 2009, Carolina made history for Spanish badminton. She won a silver medal at the European Junior Championships. In the same year, she won a gold medal at the European U-17 Junior Championships.
She won her first major international title at the Irish International tournament. She had to play through qualifying rounds to reach the main event. In 2011, she won the gold medal at the European Junior Championships in Finland. She also earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Taipei.
Becoming a Champion (2013–2014)
In 2013, Carolina became the first Spanish badminton player to win a Grand Prix Gold title. She achieved this at the London Grand Prix Gold. The next year, in April, she won her first European Championships title.
On August 31, 2014, she won the World Championships women's singles final. She beat Li Xuerui from China. This made her the first Spaniard to win a World Championship title. At 21 years old, she became the youngest European to ever win the World Championships.
World Number One and Olympic Gold (2015–2016)
In 2015, Carolina won the All England Open. This was her first "Superseries Premier" title. This big win helped her reach number 4 in the world rankings. Soon after, she became the world number one!
In August 2015, she defended her title at the World Championship. She beat Saina Nehwal from India. 2015 was an amazing year for Carolina. She won many other important tournaments like the Australian Open, French Open, and Hong Kong Open.
In August 2016, she went to the Rio Olympics. She was the top player there. She won a gold medal by beating P. V. Sindhu from India in the final. She made history by becoming the first non-Asian woman to win an Olympic badminton gold medal. An indoor sports arena in Huelva, her hometown, is now named after her!
More World and European Titles (2017–2018)
In 2017, Carolina won the Japan Open title. This was her first "Superseries" win in almost two years. In April 2018, she won her fourth straight European Championships title. This happened in her home country, Spain.
On August 5, 2018, she won her third World Championships title. She beat P. V. Sindhu again. This made her the first female player ever to win three World Championships. Later that year, she won titles at the Japan Open and China Open.
Injuries and Strong Comebacks (2019–2022)
In January 2019, Carolina suffered a serious knee injury during a match. She had to have surgery and spent four months recovering. She worked very hard, training ten hours a day.
She returned to competition in September 2019. She quickly showed her strength by winning the China Open. This win brought her back into the world's top 10 players. She continued to win other tournaments like the Syed Modi International.
In 2020, Carolina reached several finals, showing her strong form. In July 2020, her father passed away. Despite this, she continued to compete.
In 2021, she won two "Super 1000" events in Thailand. She also won her fifth consecutive European Championships title. However, she had to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to another knee injury.
In 2022, 11 months after her second knee injury, she won her sixth European Championships title.
Recent Successes (2023–2024)
Carolina started 2023 by reaching her first final in almost two years at the Indonesia Masters. In June, she won her first gold medal at the European Games.
At the World Championships in Denmark, she won a silver medal. She beat some top players to reach the final. By October 2023, her strong performance brought her back into the world's top five players. She also reached the final of the BWF World Tour Finals.
In 2024, Carolina continued her success. She won her second All England Open title. This was nine years after her first win there. The next week, she won the Swiss Open title.
In April 2024, she won her seventh European Championships title. This made her the only player in badminton history to win at least seven gold medals in a single type of continental championship. This win also moved her back to world number 3.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Carolina reached the semi-finals. However, she had to stop playing due to a serious knee injury. She was unable to compete for the bronze medal.
Achievements
Olympic Games
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Riocentro – Pavilion 4, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  P. V. Sindhu |
19–21, 21–12, 21–15 |  Gold |
World Championships
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ballerup Super Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Li Xuerui |
17–21, 21–17, 21–18 |  Gold |
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| 2015 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | Saina Nehwal |
21–16, 21–19 | Gold |
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| 2018 | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China | P. V. Sindhu |
21–19, 21–10 | Gold |
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| 2023 | Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark |  An Se-young |
12–21, 10–21 |  Silver |
European Games
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Arena Jaskółka, Tarnów, Poland |  Mia Blichfeldt |
21–15, 21–14 | Gold |
European Championships
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia | Anna Thea Madsen |
21–9, 14–21, 21–8 | Gold |
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| 2016 | Vendespace, La Roche-sur-Yon, France |  Kirsty Gilmour |
21–12, 21–18 | Gold |
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| 2017 | Sydbank Arena, Kolding, Denmark | Kirsty Gilmour |
21–14, 21–12 | Gold |
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| 2018 | Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain |  Evgeniya Kosetskaya |
21–15, 21–7 | Gold |
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| 2021 | Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine | Line Christophersen |
21–13, 21–18 | Gold |
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| 2022 | Polideportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain | Kirsty Gilmour |
21–10, 21–12 | Gold |
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| 2024 | Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany | Kirsty Gilmour |
21–11, 21–18 | Gold |
BWF World Junior Championships
Girls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Taoyuan Arena, Taipei, Taiwan |  Elyzabeth Purwaningtyas |
21–23, 21–17, 18–21 |  Bronze |
European Junior Championships
Girls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Federal Technical Centre – Palabadminton, Milan, Italy | Anne Hald Jensen |
21–18, 18–21, 19–21 | Silver |
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| 2011 | Energia Areena, Vantaa, Finland |  Beatriz Corrales |
21–14, 23–21 | Gold |
Books
- with Fernando Rivas: Gana el partido de tu vida. Editorial Planeta, 2016
- #Puedo porque pienso que puedo. Harper Collins, 2020
Images for kids
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Marín won her first international title at the 2009 Irish International in Dublin
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Marín at the 2013 Axiata Cup in Surabaya
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Marín played at the 2014 Spanish National Championships in Jaén
See also
In Spanish: Carolina Marín para niños
