Carolina Marín facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carolina Marín
Marín in 2014
Personal information
Birth name	Carolina María Marín Martín
Born	(1993-06-15) 15 June 1993 (age 32) Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
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	163 (17 June 2025)
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  Spain Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Women's singles World Championships Gold 2014 Copenhagen Women's singles Gold 2015 Jakarta Women's singles Gold 2018 Nanjing Women's singles Silver 2023 Copenhagen Women's singles European Games Gold 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Women's singles European Championships Gold 2014 Kazan Women's singles Gold 2016 La Roche-sur-Yon Women's singles Gold 2017 Kolding Women's singles Gold 2018 Huelva Women's singles Gold 2021 Kyiv Women's singles Gold 2022 Madrid Women's singles Gold 2024 Saarbrücken Women's singles European Team Championships Silver 2024 Łódź Women's team Bronze 2016 Kazan Women's team Bronze 2018 Kazan Women's team World Junior Championships Bronze 2011 Taipei Girls' singles European Junior Championships Gold 2011 Vantaa Girls' singles Silver 2009 Milan Girls' singles

Carolina María Marín Martín, born on June 15, 1993, is a famous badminton player from Spain. She has won many big titles, including an Olympic gold medal, three World Championships, and eight European Championships. Carolina was even ranked number one in the world for women's badminton for a long time – 66 weeks!

She won the World Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2018. This made her the second female player ever to win the title three times. 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 and a European Games title in 2023. 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.

Early Life and Starting Badminton

Carolina Marín loved to dance flamenco when she was a child. 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.

When she was eight years old, she started playing badminton in her hometown of Huelva. To train at the National Centre, she had to leave her family and move to Madrid at a young age.

Amazing Career Highlights

First Big Wins (2009–2012)

Marín won her first international title at the 2009 Irish International in Dublin.

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. Her first major international win was at the Irish International tournament. She started from the qualification rounds and won the final match.

In 2011, Carolina and her teammate, Beatriz Corrales, both reached the final of the European Junior Championships in Finland. Carolina won the gold medal. She also earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Taipei.

Carolina played in her first Olympics in London in 2012.

Becoming a Champion (2013–2014)

Marín at the 2013 Axiata Cup in Surabaya.

In 2013, Carolina became the first Spanish badminton player to win a Grand Prix Gold title. She won the London Grand Prix Gold. In April 2014, she won her first European Championships title.

Marín played at the 2014 Spanish National Championships in Jaén.

On August 31, 2014, Carolina won the World Championships women's singles final. She beat Li Xuerui from China. This made her the first Spanish player to win a World Championship title. She was also the third European female player to win this gold medal. At just 21 years old, she became the youngest European to ever win the World Championships.

Golden Year and World Number One (2015)

In 2015, Carolina won the All England Open, which was her first big Superseries Premier title. This win helped her climb to number 4 in the world rankings. She then became the world number 1 in women's singles on June 11, 2015.

In August 2015, she successfully defended her title at the World Championship. She beat Saina Nehwal of India in the final. 2015 was a fantastic year for Carolina. Besides defending her World Championships title, she also won other important tournaments like the Australian Open, French Open, and Hong Kong Open.

Olympic Gold Medal (2016)

In August 2016, Carolina represented Spain at the Rio Olympics. She was the top seed and won a gold medal. She beat P. V. Sindhu from India in the women's singles final. She made history by becoming the first non-Asian player to win the Olympic badminton women's singles gold medal. An indoor sports arena in her hometown of Huelva is now named after her.

More World and European Titles (2017–2018)

In 2017, Carolina won the Japan Open Superseries title. This was her first Superseries title in almost two years. In April 2018, she won her fourth European Championships title in a row. This win happened in her home country, Spain.

On August 5, 2018, she won her third World Championships title. She beat P. V. Sindhu of India again. This made her the first female player in history to win three World Championships titles. Later that year, she also 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 hard with physical therapy and training for ten hours a day.

After an eight-month break, Carolina returned to playing in September 2019. She won the China Open on September 22, beating Tai Tzu-ying. This win helped her get back into the world's top 10 rankings. She also won the Syed Modi and Italian International tournaments later that year.

In July 2020, Carolina's father passed away. Despite this, she continued to compete. She reached the final of the Denmark Open in October 2020 for the first time.

In 2021, Carolina won the Thailand Open Super 1000 event without losing a single game. She continued her amazing form by winning the second Thailand Open event as well. She also won her fifth European Championships title in a row, becoming the first player to do so. However, she had to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to another knee injury.

In 2022, 11 months after her second major knee injury, Carolina won her sixth European Championships title.

Silver Medals and Top Rankings (2023)

In 2023, Carolina reached her first final in almost two years at the Indonesia Masters. She won her first title in over two years at the Orléans Masters. In June, she won her first gold medal at the European Games.

At the World Championships in Denmark, Carolina surprised many by reaching her fourth World Championship final. She won a silver medal there. By October, her strong performance helped her return to the world number five ranking. She also reached the final of the Denmark Open. Carolina qualified for the World Tour Finals at the end of the year. She reached her first-ever World Tour Finals final, finishing as runner-up.

More Titles and Olympic Challenge (2024)

Carolina started 2024 by helping Spain's national team reach the finals of the European Women's Team Championships, where they won silver. In March, she won her second All England Open title after nine years. The following week, she won the Swiss Open title.

In April, Carolina successfully defended her European Championships title without losing a single game. This made her the only player in badminton history to win at least seven gold medals in a single type of continental championship. With this win, she returned to the world's number 3 ranking.

Carolina competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics. She played very well and reached the semi-finals. However, during her semi-final match, she suffered a serious knee injury. This injury sadly prevented her from competing for a 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
2015	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Saina Nehwal	21–16, 21–19	Gold
2018	Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China	P. V. Sindhu	21–19, 21–10	Gold
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
2016	Vendespace, La Roche-sur-Yon, France	Kirsty Gilmour	21–12, 21–18	Gold
2017	Sydbank Arena, Kolding, Denmark	Kirsty Gilmour	21–14, 21–12	Gold
2018	Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain	Evgeniya Kosetskaya	21–15, 21–7	Gold
2021	Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine	Line Christophersen	21–13, 21–18	Gold
2022	Polideportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain	Kirsty Gilmour	21–10, 21–12	Gold
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
2011	Energia Areena, Vantaa, Finland	Beatriz Corrales	21–14, 23–21	Gold

Images for kids

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  Marín in 2014

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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