PARIS: Spanish badminton ace Carolina Marin said Wednesday she was "happy like a kid" at the Paris Olympics after missing the Tokyo Games three years ago with a serious knee injury.
Marin, the 2016 women's singles champion, was hot favourite for the Tokyo title until she suffered a cruciate ligament knee tear just months before the tournament.
That kept her out for a year and came just two years after she ruptured the ACL in her other knee – an injury that sidelined her for eight months of 2019.
She also had to deal with the death of her father in 2020.
The 31-year-old, currently ranked fourth in the world, made it through to the knock-out rounds in Paris after beating Ireland's Rachael Darragh 21-5, 21-5 in just 27 minutes.
She said she was feeling confident in her game and was trying to soak up the Olympic experience.
"I was so excited when I came the first day for practice," she said.
"I was so happy like a kid, even though I'm 31 years old. The feeling was amazing and I'm really happy to be here."
Marin returned to action two years ago and she is in form having won three tournaments in a row this year.
She started her bid for Paris gold with another steady win, beating Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann 21-11, 21-19.
"It feels great, I really missed being here after I missed the Tokyo Olympics," she said.
"Being here after two serious injuries to my knee, after my dad passed away, it's been really hard for me but I'm here and I want to fight for a medal."
Marin admitted that there were no guarantees she would be able to return to the Olympic stage after her injury troubles.
"You never know," she said.
"If you don't believe, it's really difficult to be back. And I'm here."
Marin's main rivals for the Tokyo title will be South Korean world number one An Se-young, China's defending champion Chen Yufei, and Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying.
"I think you have to give 100 percent against any opponent, because any opponent can beat you," said Marin.
"You have to be really focused." - AFP PIC