Agencies
Rio de Janeiro, August 20: Spaniard Carolina Marin who defeated PV Sindhu to win the women’s badminton gold is ecstatic because she has been able to break the Asian dominance in the game. Since the advent of the sport in the 1992 Barcelona Games, the Asians – China, Japan and Indonesia – have completely dominated the sport winning gold and silver in most of the categories.
All that changed however, Friday. The woman dubbed ‘Girl Nadal’ for her boisterous shouts on court, became the first European player to win a singles gold. “It is indeed a great feeling,” said the pint-sized badminton bombshell. “My aim had all through been to win an Olympic gold. And today (Friday), I have been able to fulfil that dream. I am really very happy that the Asian dominance has been finally broken,” stated the current World No. 1.
Marin, however, had lots of praise for Sindhu. “She took me to the brink,” stated the Spaniard who is also a brilliant flamenco dancer. It was her footwork also that helped her retrieve ‘impossible’ shots in the final. When asked to comment on the warnings received by both the players for time wasting tactics, Carolina just shrugged it off. “Almost all players do it… it is a part of the strategy. I hold no grudges against PV (Sindhu) for that. It is a part and parcel of the game,” informed the Spaniard.
She however, doesn’t want to rest on her laurels. “It is difficult to attain the throne, but more difficult to hold on to the crown,” stated Carolina. “Now the entire set of Asian players will try to end my reign. So as long as I am playing, I have to work doubly hard to hold on to my achievements,” she added.
