Carolina Marín is focused on the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. The event, which starts on July 26 and ends on August 11, presents her with another opportunity to reclaim the gold medal she won in Rio de Janeiro, a feat she couldn’t repeat in Tokyo in 2020 due to an injury. Recently, she was asked about the possibility of being the flag bearer for the upcoming edition in Paris.
According to EFE, the badminton player expressed her enthusiasm about the idea, though she mentioned that no one had proposed it to her yet. One major issue she faces regarding this honor is her competition schedule. “If they ask me now, I don’t know if I would say yes or no,” she said, adding that she wouldn’t know if she would be competing “the next morning.” “If that’s the case, it would be very complicated,” she noted.
Carolina Marín won Olympic gold in Rio
These remarks were made at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) during an event to thank the companies supporting the ADO program. She indicated that she would need to “consider all the circumstances.” She recalled that three years ago, she injured her knee, and “being a flag bearer involves many hours.” Therefore, she mentioned that if the COE “could do something to adjust my schedule or propose that I compete on the second day,” it would make it much easier if they offered it to her.
Marín even mentioned that if her competition were in the afternoon the next day, “there would be fewer problems.” She emphasized the importance of her health to start her participation in the best possible condition. Thus, she stated that if it jeopardized her “main goal,” she would have to regretfully decline. She reiterated that if “everyone could contribute a bit, I think it would make everything easier.”
Nonetheless, Marín made it clear that she would love to be the flag bearer, considering it a “dream to win an Olympic medal and carry her country’s flag.” “It would make me very happy,” she said, noting that she didn’t know anything about it and continued with her training and concentration. Carolina Marín has the distinction of being the first Spanish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in badminton and the only athlete to win three women’s singles world championships.
The player recently fell in the semifinals to Chen at the Indonesia Open on June 8. In 2024, she was the runner-up in team events in Lodz and won gold at the European Championships in Saarbrücken.
Aiming to defend her title after missing Tokyo
On the other hand, it is known that Marcus Cooper will be a flag bearer. The 29-year-old canoeist, born in Oxford and raised in Mallorca, expressed his excitement about this honor.
