Carolina Marín’s appearance on El Hormiguero delivered one of the most moving moments of the season. The Spanish athlete spoke with complete honesty alongside host Pablo Motos about the definitive retirement that brings to a close one of the most successful careers in Spanish sport.
Rather than focusing solely on titles and achievements, the Huelva native chose to reveal the harsher side of her journey: the physical wear, the surgeries, and the fear that injuries might dictate the rest of her life. “I didn’t want to end up with a knee prosthesis,” she confessed during the interview.
The Body Said ‘Enough’ After Years of Suffering
Carolina Marín explained that the decision to retire was not made overnight. The Olympic champion admitted she tried to return to the court until the very last moment after overcoming three serious knee injuries. “I pushed my body beyond the limit I thought I had,” she said. However, the pain continued to accompany her for months, to the point where she had to undergo surgery again this past February for issues with the internal meniscus. The athlete confessed that her priority now is to protect her health and avoid irreversible long-term consequences. “I’m 32 years old and have my whole life ahead of me,” she assured.
The Dream Retirement She Could Never Fulfill
One of the most heartfelt moments of the interview came when she recalled how she imagined her farewell to badminton. Carolina Marín revealed she had always dreamed of retiring in Huelva, her hometown, during the European Championship held at the Palacio de Deportes that bears her name. “I couldn’t retire the way I would have loved to,” the player lamented, acknowledging the immense sadness she felt at giving up that final tribute on the court in front of her people. Even so, she stated that pushing her knee one more time would have been a dangerously risky mistake for her personal future.
‘Right Now I Live in Peace’
Despite the difficulty of the process, Carolina Marín made it clear she feels at peace with the decision made. The athlete explained that for the first time in many years, she lives without pain and with the sense of having chosen what is best for herself. “I am very calm and very much at peace,” she said in front of Pablo Motos. During the conversation, she also wanted to highlight all the sacrifice behind athletic success: hours of training, personal sacrifices, and physical suffering that are rarely visible when medals are won or the national anthem plays on the podium.
With her retirement, Carolina Marín closes a historic chapter in Spanish sport, marked by constant perseverance but also by a silent battle against injuries that ultimately forced her to prioritize something that had long taken a back seat: her own health.
