Bangkok: Carolina Marin started her 2021 with a 2-0 win over Qi Xuefei as the reigning Olympic champion of Spain reached the round of 16 at the BWF World Tour 1000 Yonex Thailand Open in Bangkok.
When asked about the impact of coronavirus on badminton she said, "Actually because we have the coronavirus, we have to live day by day because we never know what is going to happen in the future. So actually I am here, the first tournament of the year, and I just want to enjoy to be here, because I really miss this competition feeling. And just try to do what I have been doing in Madrid here in the matches."
She also opened up on offering her gold medals to Spanish health workers in July 2020.
"I just wanted to say that I offered all my medals because they (the health workers) are the champion, not myself. So this is just what I wanted to mean, this is what I say. Obviously, they are champions, because they are living a really hard moment and we are a person and really have to take care of the world."
Meanwhile, 2008 Olympic Champion Lee Yong-dae had yet to win a match at BWF World Tour 1000 events since his comeback from retirement in 2018, as he and Kim Gi-jung were beaten by the Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the opening round.
