But what is this? “This is going to fall off!” Carolina laughs as she looks at the dress, which is indeed not easy to put on. “I’ve never worn a dress like that,” she says. Which seems to be true judging by the shock on her coach’s face. “What! You’re not going to tell me anything?” she challenges him, amused. And the three-time badminton world champion calls us for the photo session on the same training court. She doesn’t want to waste time on transfers and she has only taken a week’s vacation before getting back into her training routine.
It is that perseverance and sacrifice that have allowed him to reach the highest point in the history of his sport at the age of 25. And it hasn’t been easy. After winning an Olympic gold two years ago, in Rio, he experienced a very complicated 2017 due to an injury. But much to the chagrin of her Asian rivals, Carolina is back. And she has done it in a big way. With her recent triumph in China, she has become the first woman to win three World Cups. The Huelva native has spoken with XLSemanal of the problems she had to face and the path taken to return to being who she was.
XLWeekly. He has won an Olympic gold, three World Cups and four Europeans. Is reality surpassing those dreams he had a few years ago?
Carolina Marín. The truth is that if. Every athlete’s dream is to achieve Olympic gold and, today, I am going much further than I imagined.
XL. Many consider her the best player in history. Does she feel that way?
C.M. I don’t feel like the best in history. There are many badminton players better than me. It is true that I have achieved many things, but I think I have more to gain.
«Of course I would have more facilities in Asia, but I don’t need more money than I have. And I wouldn’t change my nationality for anything. “I go with Spain until death!”
XL. What is different about Carolina Marín? How has she surpassed empires of this sport like China or India?
C.M. I am characterized by competitiveness, it is something innate in me. But without the team I have it would be impossible. First, my coach, Fernando Rivas, who has looked for an innovative method, out of the ordinary, that is not the one they follow in Asia, because if not, we would always go after them. Having pursued new paths is what has made us improve ourselves and others. With all the support, also, of the second coach, Anders Thomsen; from the physio, who is always available; of my training partners… Without each of those fundamental pieces, it would be impossible for me to get to where I have arrived.
XL. Use psychologists, optometrists, techniques such as acupuncture… Is it essential to resort to these aids to win?
C.M. You always have to polish details. If there are aspects that do not improve, we try to find other methods with outside specialists who can help us on the track. The personal relationship with the sports one is very close. If I have a personal problem that is affecting me, I have to solve it so that it is not noticed.
XL. The black patches that he wore on his hand at the World Cup drew a lot of attention. What purpose did they have?
C.M. You can’t tell much. It is related to traditional Chinese medicine and serves to help me with energy.
XL. He has us so well used to it that his drop in results in 2017 was surprising. What happened to him?
C.M. I have had a difficult year and a half. After winning the Olympic Games it was difficult to find motivation. I also spent four months with a sacral injury and it didn’t improve at all. I came to training unmotivated, without desire, without enthusiasm, and when you go to work like that, there are no results. It took me a lot to find myself, the Carolina I used to have. Until three weeks before the World Cup I didn’t find the essence, that mental strength that I had before. Now I’m better than ever.
XL. “We have had to look fear in the face,” his coach said of him. Was he afraid he wouldn’t win again?
C.M. Yes of course. I have been afraid, very afraid. After you’ve achieved the most important things, you reach a period of a year and a half where you don’t win anything and then you wonder, will I ever win anything again? We had to face fear because what I was wearing. to tournaments was the fear of losing, and so it was impossible. It has also been difficult for the team to find that motivation again. But in this last World Cup everything went well.
XL. With years of experience, do you already know whether it is more difficult to reach the top or stay there?
C.M. I have always been very clear about it, and even more so since the successes arrived. It is much more complicated to maintain.
«You always have to polish details. If something doesn’t work, I look for other methods. “The patches I was wearing in my hand at the World Cup are from traditional Chinese medicine.”
XL. Between mentality, training and qualities, could you tell me the percentages that make up the champion Carolina Marín?
C.M. Ugh, let’s see, I would say 40 percent mentality, another 40 percent training and 20 percent qualities. I do not stand out for being a very good player technically and tactically. The Asian girls make a lot of difference to me in that, because they have been playing badminton since they were very little. I stand out for my physical and mental part. That’s what makes me win games. Those two things are fundamental and go hand in hand.
XL. To be a champion and make history in a sport, do you have to sacrifice your personal life beyond what is desirable?
C.M. Yes, a lot. I believe that people are not aware until you know the life of the athlete or are not a partner of him, of everything that this entails. Not even my parents know yet. They are 600 kilometers away from me and I often tell them that I can’t talk to them. When I’m in a busy period I only call them two or three times a week because I end up exhausted and don’t even feel like talking. But the one who experiences it most day by day is my partner, who has to accept many things that I think I would not even accept if I were the partner of a high-level athlete. It means a lot.
XL. What has he learned from the downturn he had so as not to repeat it?
C.M. Especially the issue of communication with my team. I am a girl who keeps things quiet a lot, I think also because I am an only child and it is difficult for me to say them. I haven’t told you about many problems I’ve had, and that leads to problems in training. I have learned that communication with them is essential.
XL. There are people who are bothered by the screams he makes while he plays. What explanation would he give so that they understand why he does it?
C.M. Everyone has things they like about an athlete and others they don’t. I am two very different people. One when he is on the track and another when he is away, I have nothing to do with it. When I’m playing I feel like a lioness. It is true that at some moments in my sporting career we have used those shouts a little at a tactical level, because it put pressure on the rivals and I have played with that. I know there are people who don’t like it, and the only thing I can say is sorry. I feel very sorry for them, but it is how I stand out as a player.
XL. What do you think when they put you on the same level as other pioneers of our sport like Santana, Nieto, Ballesteros, Alonso…?
C.M. It means a lot to me, because these people are legendary, they are incredible athletes. Being equated with them makes my skin crawl. It is true that I have been a bit of a pioneer in my sport. I say it proudly and with big words, because I like that there is more and more talk about badminton in Spain.
XL. Does an Olympic champion and three-time world champion receive the financial reward that someone with that resume should receive? If she were Asian would she have more sponsors and earn a lot more?
C.M. It would surely have more facilities because badminton in Asia has a lot of media coverage. But I wouldn’t change my nationality, far from it. I go with Spain until death! I feel proud to be Spanish and, every time the anthem plays, I start crying. I feel lucky to say that I live thanks to my job, which is badminton. I don’t need more money than I have today, I don’t need it because it’s not going to give me happiness. What makes me happy is doing what I do and having the reward of winning big tournaments.
XL. Many people, including her mother, believe that she has enough merit to be awarded the Princess of Asturias Award. If she had to defend her candidacy, what would she say to the jurors?
C.M. Ugh, that means a lot to me. For every athlete, his dream is to win the Olympic Games; But, when you are Spanish, so is getting the Princess of Asturias Award. I don’t want to tell the jury to choose me, they have to choose the best athlete. If they decide that the best athlete that year is me, then I’m happier than anything. I would feel very proud. I know that it has been a long time since they have given it to a woman, and if she touches me, then she is welcome.
XL. She is a visible face of the take-off of women’s sports in Spain. How do you explain so many successes in recent years?
C.M. It has to do with the individual work that each of the athletes does. We set challenges just like men and it is being shown that we are capable of achieving great results, even better than them in the last two Olympic Games. I feel very proud to contribute my part, to be one more on the list of women who wins medals for Spain.
Styling: Samuel Sanz. Makeup and hair: José Luis Ruzafa (Talents) for Mac and Moroccanoil. Mónica Cordera’s bronze dress; Printed dress, by Roberto Cavalli for MyTheresa; Earrings and rings, by Yanes Young.