KUALA LUMPUR: When Europe last hosted the Olympic Games in London 2012, Spain's Carolina Marin was making her debut, while Denmark's Viktor Axelsen had yet to compete.
Since then, both have established themselves as world-class singles players.
Marin went on to win gold in Rio 2016, while Axelsen secured bronze before claiming the coveted title at the postponed Tokyo Games in 2021.
Now, as the Olympics return to Europe, Axelsen and Marín remain the continent's best hopes of preventing Asian powerhouses from dominating the sport.
It's notable that since badminton's inclusion in the 1992 Barcelona Games, European players have won only three gold medals out of a possible 40.
The first was achieved by Denmark's Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen, the current Badminton World Federation (BWF) president, in Atlanta 1996.
For Axelsen and Marin, the Olympics on European soil present a golden opportunity to further their individual accomplishments and etch their names in the record books by securing a second gold medal.
If Axelsen reaches the final and succeeds on August 5, he could emulate China's legend Lin Dan in successfully defending an Olympic men's singles gold medal (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), becoming only the second multiple gold medalist in the event.
Marin, who missed the Tokyo Games due to injury, will be eager to make her mark in Paris.
While she missed the chance to match China's Zhang Ning's back-to-back victories (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) in women's singles, reclaiming her title after overcoming a career-threatening setback would be an incredible feat, potentially making her the only other double Olympic champion.
Axelsen has expressed excitement about making his third Olympic appearance closer to home and hopes to make the most of it for a successful title defence.
"It will be fun to play the Olympics on European soil for once. I hope I can do very well. Obviously, winning the gold again would be a dream - and I'll do everything I can to make it happen," said Axelsen.
Seeded second, Axelsen believes the competition will be extremely tough given the strong field of competitors. He finds it difficult to name who could be his biggest rivals in Paris.
His road to the final could be challenging, potentially facing China's Li Shifeng in the quarter-finals, and possibly Japan's Kodai Naraoka or Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the semi-finals.
"The men's singles is so strong and it's impossible to name one or even a few players who would be the main competitors. The field is very open. So many players will be ready, myself included," said Axelsen.
Axelsen aims to use the group stage to get himself in the best possible shape before the knockout rounds.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should find himself topping the four-man Group P, which includes Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, Israel's Misha Zilberman, and Nepal's Prince Dahal.
Marin, meanwhile, is expected to advance easily from Group L, likely powering past Ireland's Rachael Darragh and Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann to finish top.
She could potentially face American Zhang Beiwen in the last 16.
The other strong contender in her half is China's Chen Yufei, whom she might meet in the semi-finals.
Marin, also a three-time world champion, has made a remarkable comeback from a lengthy layoff in 2022.
She has secured morale-boosting achievements, including finishing runner-up at the World Championships and World Tour Finals last year, and winning the All England in March.
Marin said all this was fueled by her desire to win the Olympics once more.
"After eight years, I am experiencing the Games with a lot of emotion and eagerness. I want to preserve that," said Marin.
"Having the same eagerness, since I couldn't be at Tokyo due to injury, and having the goal of winning another gold medal is what I want to fight for."
"It (the injury) was tough, but I don't want to speak about injuries anymore. I'm very well, my knee hasn't created any problems during the two or three months of preparations. I'll arrive with one of the greatest forms of my career."