“Everything I didn’t get in Tokyo I want to get in Paris,” said the Olympic champion in Rio 2016
MADRID, 25 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The former Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marín stated that “if she did not feel confident in her knee she would not compete again” on the eve of her debut in the 2022 European Championship, which is held at the Gallur Municipal Center in Madrid, eleven months later of his serious joint injury that prevented him from playing the Tokyo 2020 Games.
In an act of Banco Santander at the European headquarters, the Gallur Municipal Sports Center, together with the person in charge of Media, Online Marketing, Sponsorships and Events of the financial entity, Felipe Martín, Carolina Marín said she was “full of confidence” before said European debut in Madrid, where he said that his goal “apart from enjoying” is “not to have any problem with his knee”.
In the run-up to what will be her first game after the rupture of her cruciate ligament and meniscus eleven months ago, the player from Huelva assured that she will return safely to her rehabilitation. “If I’m here it’s because I feel full of confidence, otherwise I wouldn’t be announcing my return to competition,” she said.
“It was clear to me from the first day, when I broke my right knee I told my coach that until I was completely confident I was not going to return,” said the champion, who acknowledged that in this recovery she has followed the same philosophy despite that the recovery process has been different.
“It has been different, because they have been different legs and because before it was only the cruciate ligament and now it has also been the two menisci of my dominant leg,” he added.
The Andalusian assured that during this time she has focused on recovery, but also on improving her game and trying to minimize errors in her game. “We have encountered some impediments and some delays that we have had to solve in another way. In addition, in January I had to be confined for a month due to COVID,” he said, referring to the reasons why his return date was extended.
“In this process of almost a year I have learned many things, I fell very deep, because seeing myself so well and so prepared two months before the Olympics to get that medal that I wanted so much, but I told myself that maybe Tokyo was not for me,” said the former Olympic champion in 2016. “Everything I didn’t get in Tokyo I want to get in Paris,” she said.
The Santander Sports ambassador also explained that during this time she learned “to be more patient”. “Because it was an internal meniscus, the doctor told me that I had to wait three whole months for it to weld and then I had problems like in the external meniscus, where I had a cyst that I had to infiltrate,” said the five-time European champion, who returns to the tracks to defend his title.
“THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING WOULD HAVE BEEN TO COMPETE IN HUELVA”
Marín confessed that when he found out that Madrid was the venue for the European Championship, he told his team and they ‘sent down’ on the date for the reappearance. “It is clear that the most beautiful thing would have been to play in the World Cup in Huelva, which is my home, and in the Palacio de los Deportes that bears my name, but it was too soon and it would have been risking my knee. Now I feel phenomenal”, he claimed.
Likewise, he explained that he is in Madrid “to compete and enjoy” and that he is not concerned about the difference between working alone and an official match because “training is sometimes harder than a competitive match”. In addition, he said that he relies on his team to “analyze the rivals” and take care of his tactics.
The great favorite in Madrid 2022 refuses to sign even second place. “I never go with that expectation. My great goal is not to have any problem with my knee, to feel that it has not given me any problem. Then the result is accompanied by what one does on the track”, she commented.
“I’ve seen the draw, I’m not superstitious, I’m not like other athletes who don’t like to see it. Right now I don’t even know who I’d play against in the quarterfinals because I still know I have to play the first game,” said the Huelva player, who no other goal is set than his debut. “The medal is very beautiful, but the important thing for us is always the journey,” she explained.
He is not worried about the pressure for victory, as he believes that his followers are aware of all the work behind it. “I think that today we athletes have to be grateful to that type of public that loves you because they understand and support you, at no time have I felt demanded for having to compete again and win,” said the athlete.
He revealed what his roadmap is in the short, medium and long term. He places these points in the European Championship in Madrid, which will start this Tuesday, the second, in the World Cup and the third, in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but always “game by game” and without worrying about his position in the world ranking , in which right now is sixth. “That’s what my coaches are for. I want to focus on my games and my competitions and that will be a consequence of what happens on the court,” he said.
Regarding the future, he anticipated that “there are going to be very complicated months” in which he will compete in Indonesia and Malaysia before returning to Spain to train for the 2022 Tokyo World Cup, which will be held next August.