MADRID, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin was on Wednesday named as the winner of the 2024 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.
The 30-year-old will be given the prestigious award at a ceremony held in the city of Oviedo in northern Spain in October.
The Princess of Asturias Awards are given in eight categories - Sports, Arts, Communication and Humanities, Social Sciences, Literature, International Cooperation, Technical and Scientific Research, and Concord.
Born in the city of Huelva in southwest Spain, Marin won the 2016 Olympic gold medal in Rio and also triumphed at the World Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2018, becoming the only non-Asian player to win the title three times.
She is also the only player to win seven gold medals in the European Championships, with her titles in 2021, 2022 and 2024 coming after she overcame a torn cruciate ligament injury which kept her out of the game for over eight months.
Marin was also ranked number one in the world for 66 weeks.
The jury for the awards highlighted that Marin is "the greatest player in the history of badminton in Spain and one of the best in the world," adding that she is "an example of self-improvement, a source of inspiration and a transmitter of values, both on and off the court." ■