- Marin appeared to be en route to the finals, leading Bing Jiao He of China 21-14, 10-5
- The 31-year-old secured an Olympic gold medal at the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016
- She was unable to defend her title after suffering an ACL injury prior to Tokyo
Carolina Marin, the badminton gold medalist from the 2016 Olympic Games, wept inconsolably as her Paris journey ended in tragedy during the semi-finals due to a severe knee injury.
The Spaniard was leading Bing Jiao He of China 21-14, 10-5, appearing to head toward the finals when she collapsed during a rally, having landed awkwardly.
The 31-year-old, who missed her chance to defend her title in Tokyo after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in 2021, lay injured on the court as coaches and medical personnel rushed to help her.
Marin bravely attempted to carry on, continuing with her leg heavily bandaged, but eventually fell again, hitting the floor in frustration and was compelled to withdraw.
Her sudden and heartbreaking exit from the event was met with a round of sympathetic applause from the audience at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena on Sunday, with Marin audibly sobbing at the back of the court.
Carolina Marin was forced to retire part way through her Olympic semi-final after sustaining a serious knee injury
The 31-year-old landed awkwardly during a rally as she looked set to return the final for the first time since her win in 2016
Spaniard sobbed uncontrollably as she was forced to bow out, having tried to continue with her knee heavily strapped
The badminton athlete did not address reporters as she exited the arena to head to the hospital.
Jiao He will compete against An Seyoung from South Korea in the finals, after An overcame Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung with scores of 11-21, 21-13, 21-16 in the first semi-final.
World No. 4 Marin, should she recover, will face Tunjung in the bronze medal match.
