After the World Cup final, they did not have the best of their faces. On her face you could see the trace of defeat and if she treasures one quality above all, it is that she is a born champion, especially when gold was just one step away. With silver around her neck Carolina Marín (30 years old) tried to outline a half smile on the podium in Copenhagen, a hint of joy that accompanied her. She reasons she has to be satisfied despite not showing off her most lucid blows in the title match. She fell against the number one in the world ranking, the impressive South Korean player Se Young An (21 years old). She gave up the Andalusian by 21-12 and 21-10.
Marín was looking for her fourth world title, the first since 2018. She was looking for another crown to add to her six European golds and the monumental milestone of Olympic champion that she achieved in Rio 2016. Her record is impressive and enviable, although she lost this Sunday in just 42 minutes. She tried to counter the agility, precision and aggressiveness of the Asian, who moved with phenomenal elasticity. But from the beginning she saw that her rival had a brighter day in every way. Not surprisingly, she has taken the mold from Marín, whom she has defeated in their last five matches.
However, the woman from Huelva has shown in this World Cup that she has recovered the light, that she has found the path of authentic return to the elite of her sport. She started from number 6 in the ranking and reached the final. In addition, she defeated another of her fiercest opponents in the semifinals, the Japanese Akane Yamaguchi, defending champion and Marin's executioner last year at the Tokyo World Cup in the quarterfinals.
So no one can deny that the Huelva player has taken a leap forward in her progression. The results say so. She has returned to the world podium for the first time since 2018 and remains the only woman with three universal titles.
Carolina never gives up. She's in her DNA. He could have said enough with his two very serious knee injuries, one in each leg, which deprived him of being in the Tokyo Games and in the World Cup that was played on his land in 2021. In a sport so demanding on the knees, always flexed, always working, I could have let it run. She already had trophies at home to give and give away, but her claw accompanies her and she has continued to work alongside her coach, Fernando Rivas, who accompanies her, pushes her and encourages her in equal measure.
On the way to the 2024 Paris Games, there are reasons to believe that Carolina is in a position to fight for another metal.
