The rivalry between India’s star shuttler PV Sidhu and Spanish Carolina Marin is one of the most intense and talked about rivalries in the Badminton World. Sindhu faced a tough defeat against Carolina Marin at the Rio 2016 Olympics gold medal match. She took to social media to express her support for the Gold medallist after Marin suffered a brutal knee injury, forcing her to abandon mid-way in her women’s singles semi-final match of the Paris Olympics against He Bingjiao of China.
PV Sindhu’s campaign at the Paris Olympics also ended after a defeat against China’s He Bingjiao in the quarter-finals failing to win an Olympic medal for the first time in her career. India’s prime medal contender won the silver and bronze medals at the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo editions and had topped the group to qualify for the knockout stage but failed against Bingjiao.
Sindhu's note for Marin
Sindhu penned a heartfelt post to support her arch-rival in her hard times giving the message of sportsmanship and mutual respect between the two athletes.
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"To one of my greatest rivals and dearest friends on the tour, @carolinamarin, I am sending all the positive energy in the world your way. You were playing a phenomenal match, and I was deeply rooting for you! Deep down, I believe there was no player on tour I hated playing against more than you. Your willpower, sheer determination, and uncanny ability to put players under pressure are unmatched. Knowing you and your willpower, it’s only a matter of time, buddy! Just know I will always be your biggest supporter," PV Sindhu wrote.
PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin have squared off against each other 18 times, Carolina winning in 12 encounters, while the 29-year-old winning on six occasions. Despite their intense rivalry mutual respect is the crux of their bond.
Marin who was the frontrunner to grab the gold in badminton women's singles suffered a knee injury during the second set of the sem-final against He Bing Jiao. In a shocking turn of events, the Spaniard jumped to play a return shot from a South Korean opponent but her landing led to a knee injury. She was unable to continue post-injury and thus, was forced to retire from the match failing to win the match and contest for Gold. Earlier Marin had withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics 2021 due to an ACL tear.
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