Paris, Aug 4 (IANS): Carolina Marin, the Spanish badminton star, donned her knee brace and stepped back onto the court, signaling her contender, He Bingjiao, to resume their semifinal match. Despite her valiant efforts, after a few rallies, Marin collapsed to her knees by the sidelines, unable to continue.

In Sunday's women's singles semifinal at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Marin, who had taken the first set 21-14 and led 10-6 in the second, faced a devastating blow when a fall aggravated her knee injury. The impairment forced the three-time world champion to retire after losing another two points, reports Xinhua

This isn't Marin's first encounter with Olympic heartbreak. The Rio gold medalist had to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to a torn knee ligament, a painful decision announced just two months before the event.

Undeterred, Marin clawed her way back to form, capturing two Badminton Open titles and securing her unprecedented seventh European title in 2024.

Determined and resilient, the Spanish No. 4 seed, who has endured two knee surgeries, made a bold comeback at the Paris Olympics. She advanced from the group stage, triumphing over Beiwen Zhang of the United States and Aya Ohori of Japan in the knockout rounds, showcasing her unyielding spirit and championship caliber.

Marin's resolve was palpable as she walked off the court with tears in her eyes, but her head held high, refusing to be wheelchair-exited after her withdrawal.

Although the 31-year-old veteran was absent from the mixed interview zone, her opponent He Bingjiao, shared Marin's encouraging words

"She told me to 'keep on working, keep on fighting,’"said Bingjiao in the post game interview.