The World Learns to Play Without Carolina Marín

For over a decade, Spain arrived at every badminton tournament with Carolina Marín as a near-certain medal contender. That certainty is broken at the World Championships in New Delhi, where the Spanish team faces the daunting prospect of competing without their primary medal guarantee. Rivals, too, must adjust to a landscape no longer dominated by the player who disrupted Asian hegemony in the sport.

The absence of Marín, an Olympic champion in Rio 2016, three-time world champion, eight-time European champion, and former world number one for 66 weeks, weighs particularly heavily in India. This nation is deeply connected to Marín's career, having hosted her professional league seasons and witnessed one of her generation's greatest rivalries against local star P.V. Sindhu. Even Sindhu, upon hearing of Marín's injury-plagued retirement in March, expressed the void left by her friend and competitor: "Your skill, your speed, and your fighting spirit were unmatched... Thank you for every battle, for every lesson, and above all, for the friendship. Badminton will miss you, and so will I."

Marín's retirement presents a significant dilemma for the Spanish Badminton Federation (FESBA). Arturo Ruiz, FESBA's sporting director, explained the federation's strategy: "Carolina there is only one, and there will only be one, so we have worked on a strategic plan so that players understand that she had her story and that they have to build their own."

The federation is deliberately avoiding the search for a direct successor, aiming instead to prevent the new generation from feeling the pressure of replicating Marín's exceptional achievements. Ruiz acknowledged that the moment of her retirement was inevitable. "It was something that had to happen sooner or later. Obviously, we don't like to stop winning medals of that level, but we couldn't ignore reality," he stated. During Marín's peak years, the federation's focus was largely on her, with Ruiz's main concern being planning for the post-Marín era. Now, in New Delhi, that era has arrived, and Spain has departed the BWF World Championships without medals, though the federation sees signs of growth in disciplines previously overshadowed by Marín's individual success.