Carolina Marin, a recent double champion on the World Tour emphasized the importance of creating a powerful mental weapon as she looks to hunt another Olympic gold after missing the last one through injury.
The world number five looks to have reached her peak form after recently winning both the All-England and Swiss Open women’s singles titles in the span of a week.
In Basel, the 30-year-old saved a match point and went on to beat Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in a nail-biting final.
It was the latest showcase of how resilient the left-hander has built her mind to a point she never backs down, even on the brink of defeat.
“Many times athletes ignore the aspect of mental health, but for me it is one of the fundamental pieces of our body because it is one more piece to work on,” she tells Olympics.com.
Of course, Marin knows all about perseverance, having suffered two injuries on both her knees.
The first injury in 2019 left her with a torn cruciate ligament on her right knee, and two years later she suffered a bigger blow to her left knee, tearing not just her cruciate ligament but also both her meniscus’.
That setback caused her to miss the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she would have been defending her gold medal from the Rio de Janerio Games five years earlier.
Marin adds that working with a psychologist has elevated her confidence to not just return to full fitness, but also feel good about herself off it.
“The aspects that I worked on the most on a psychological level were my emotions, expelling emotions. I have been working with psychologists since I was 15. I work a lot on the issues of trust, fear, insecurities,” she adds.
The offensive shuttler has had to miss the on-going Madrid Masters to rest her body, but she will prepare herself to be in optimum condition at the Paris Olympics in July.
“My biggest wish is to win gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024."
With a fiery determination and overwhelming desire to overcome her setbacks, it’s difficult not to imagine Marin at the podium in Paris.
Nicolas Anil
Fri Mar 29 2024
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