By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
As India hosts the BWF World Championships at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium, two of the sport’s biggest stars of the modern era — Spain’s Carolina Marin and Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen are conspicuous by their absence after both announced their retirements earlier this year.
At just 32, the two stars walked away from the sport within weeks of each other, leaving behind extraordinary legacies and a void that will be difficult to fill.
Marin announced her retirement on March 26, bringing an end to a glittering career curtailed by persistent knee problems. The Spaniard, an Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion, was one of the most influential figures in women’s badminton and helped establish European badminton as a force capable of challenging Asian dominance.
Axelsen followed her into retirement in April, citing recurrent back problems that had made it increasingly difficult for him to train and compete at the highest level.
“Today is not an easy day for me,” Axelsen said in his retirement statement. “Due to my recurrent back issues, I am no longer able to compete and train at the highest level.”
The Dane’s decision marks the end of one of the most successful men’s singles careers of the modern era. Axelsen won consecutive Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021 because of the pandemic, and Paris 2024. He also won the BWF World Championships in 2017 and 2022 and claimed a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
For Indian fans, however, Axelsen will perhaps be remembered most vividly for his dramatic semifinal against Almora-born Lakshya Sen at the Paris Olympics.
Sen won the opening game 22-20 and appeared to be on course for a historic victory. But Axelsen’s experience and composure came to the fore as he fought back to win the second game 21-14 and eventually advance to the final, where he defeated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn to retain his Olympic crown.
Following Axelsen’s retirement, Sen paid an emotional tribute to the Dane, saying badminton would remember him as “one of the greatest to ever play the game”.
Marin’s career was equally transformative. Her Olympic triumph at Rio 2016 and three World Championships titles made her one of the most decorated women’s singles players in badminton history. Her aggressive style, relentless intensity and refusal to surrender transformed her into a global sporting icon.
Their retirements have therefore added an emotional dimension to the World Championships in New Delhi. While a new generation battles for supremacy on the court, fans are also being reminded of an era shaped by two exceptional champions.
Axelsen and Marin may no longer be competing, but their influence remains firmly embedded in the sport—and their absence in New Delhi is a reminder that even the greatest champions eventually have to make way for the next generation.