Bdminton He takes stock of his return after seven months without competing
Carolina Marn has taken stock of his recent return to competition after seven months of hiatus for the COVID pandemic and has addressed its future plans for the Tokyo 2020 Games during a Santander Talks event.
“I missed that feeling of competition because I am very competitive. Second place in Denmark has been a bit too much for me. The sensations in the tournament have not been the best. I leave with a little bad taste in my mouthBut we have not competed for seven months and now we have to improve on the things that I have failed in the tournament and look forward to, “acknowledges the Olympic champion.
In fact, the three-time world champion insists that she lost the final to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara (21-19 and 21-17) more because of her fault than because of her rival’s good play. “She was very smart and did almost nothing, just pass the wheel. I made the mistakes and the winning points,” he analyzes. “The way I lost on Sunday does not make me fear the next game against Okuhara. I wish I had a game against her next week.” aade.
And in an Olympic final? “We play in Japan and the Japanese will be very strong, but I wouldn’t mind an Olympic final against Okuhara or Yamaguchi”he says firmly and without an iota of fear, but with ambition. She knows that the pressure of not failing her public can play against her rivals, a responsibility that she knows well after the European dispute in Huelva in 2018.
The three-time world champion acknowledges that the seven months without competition, even if you don’t want to, take their toll. “You lose your self-confidence a little and you question many things. You don’t know how the rivals are, but in the end if you focus on what you have to do, those doubts go away. We focus on ourselves and improving in the competition, “he says.
He also believes that while mental toughness is one of his greatest strengths, he needs to keep improving it. “Psychologically I’m not 100%, but despite what I’ve been through – the recent death of her father – I’m trying to be the best I can. It’s an aspect that I have to keep improving but I have time to do it. I lacked confidence in the game. The psychological part is one of my strengths and I have lacked confidence and shooting, “he insists.
And to continue improving and recovering sensations, next week compete in a minor tournament in Germany, the Saarlorlux Open 2020, which runs from October 27 to November 1 and it is a Super 100 in which the best in the world will not be. He acknowledges that during the break he has improved different parts of the game but did not finish applying them in Denmark. “Go to Germany to test the things we are training,” he acknowledges.
They have been working to improve defense and attack, his strong point. The physical part, after three months without touching a racket and a shuttlecock during confinement, I just got it ready in Sierra Nevada, with the aim of holding up well in the long points.
After the appointment from Germany he will take a little break before starting to prepare the three tournaments of the world circuit that will be played in a row in Bangkok (Thailand): the Asia Open I (January 12-17, 2021) and II, two Super 1,000 (January 19-24, 2021), and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals (January 27-31).
He still does not know if he will have to travel 14 days before to quarantine or what the bubble there, but he acknowledges that it has been rare to play in Denmark with just 40 people in the audience and see the stands almost empty. It was a strange feeling, “she acknowledges. Maybe that’s what awaits her at the Tokyo Olympics.” The IOC said the Games were going to be held. If they have to unfortunately remove the public for them to be held, they will have to do so. If to carry them out you have to do them without an audience, it is because it is the best for athletes. I like the public as much when they support me as if they support my rival because it motivates me. But we will get used to it. Obviously they will look first for the health of the athletes, “he says.
Revalidating the Olympic gold in Tokyo and becoming the best player in history is her daily motivation. “The ambition does not go away. Personally I am not in my best moment and in many training sessions that motivation of wanting to be the best in history is missing. But I always try to look forward,” he says.
Is what he’s been doing the last two years, the most complicated both professionally and personally. First it was the serious knee injury that had her out of competition for almost eight months, then the pandemic and then the health of her father.
“I have changed a lot in these two years. When the knee injury I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me and a few months ago something much worse happened to me, the loss of my father. And we are still experiencing a global pandemic that limits us to tournaments and to go out on the streets. But we use that change to improve details that in a normal year do not give us time because we go out a lot to compete. Inside the bad, we always try to turn it around and look for the positive part, “he says optimistically.
And with optimism he also sees the change in the presidency of the Spanish Badminton Federation. Now in front is Andoni Azurmendi, to whom the Olympic champion shows her support. “It has been very positive because many necessary changes are going to be made for Spanish badminton and they can count on me for whatever it is in the Federation,” he says. At the same time he regretted that the previous board, with whom he had several disagreements, did not know how to use his successes to attract more people to his sport.
“Hopefully someone will get what I or more. There is no secret behind all this, as seen in the documentary that we have just released, it is work, sacrifice and giving up many things. You have to be very clear about things. Many players on that path do not quit because they see him very sacrificed or because the job is not well done, “he says. And she is willing to continue to strive to achieve the Olympic gold next summer and become the best player in history.
.
