In a heartwarming display of sportsmanship at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, He Bingjiao of China took a Spanish pin to the podium as she received the women’s singles badminton silver medal on Monday.
He explained during her press conference, \"This pin was given to me by Team Spain. My opponent in the semifinals, Carolina Marin, had to pull out of the match because of an injury. I feel sympathetic because Marin is an outstanding athlete and opponent. I wanted to take her spirit with me to the final. I wish her a quick recovery.\"
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) shared a photo of He holding the pin on its Instagram account, praising her gesture.
\"He Bingjiao held the Team Spain pin during her medal ceremony in support for Carolina Marin, who suffered a knee injury yesterday in the semifinals,\" the IOC wrote.
Carolina Marin expressed her gratitude, stating, \"I wished He Bingjiao all the best in the final, because sportsmanship was above all else. But the moment on the podium is one of the loveliest gestures anyone has ever made to me and I will always be incredibly grateful to her.\"
During the semifinal match, Marin led the first game 21-14 and the second game 10-5 before landing awkwardly on her right knee following an overhead smash. Despite attempting to continue after strapping on a knee brace, she had to withdraw from the match.
The emotional moment was further highlighted by South Korea's gold medalist An Se-young, who expressed her admiration for Marin. \"Marin is a great athlete and a legend,\" An said. \"I've learned a lot from her. I feel so sad that she couldn't continue to play. I want to play her again on the court.\"
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He Bingjiao shows Olympic spirit by taking a Spanish pin to podium
cgtn.com
