Caroline Marin: Spain's world number one badminton player

If you had asked a Spaniard a year ago who Carolina Marin was the chances are they would not have known, but after a spectacular year in which she was crowned world badminton champion the youngster, who will not be 22 until next week is a famous face.

Carolina's recent performances have seen her confirmed as the number one women's player in the world and that has its repercussions at home.

"In the past I only used to be recognized in Asia," she told sports paper, Marca, "now I also get recognized in my own country."

"I am very happy to be the world number one," she said, "but it is only a secondary achievement. What is important is to work hard to maintain yourself in the top three."

Carolina's success has seen increasing numbers of people take up the sport in Spain, something she feels proud about.

"I am very happy that thanks to me being world champion has become more popular in my country and when I see children practicing a lot of them come up and say they started to play because of me and that makes me feel proud," she commented.

She became world champion by defeating China's Li Xuerui, who had knocked her out of the first round in the 2012 Olympic Games.

"When I won, I fell to the ground and cried," she confessed, "because behind that medal there was so much work. Hours of practice in the sports hall at working with my team."

Li Xuerui may be one of Caroline's main rivals, but the player who comes from Huelva in the far south-west of Spain, says she will never forget a trip she made to China when she was 16 years old.

"We went there to train and those days in China, where I worked with the best players in the world, was an experience that I will never forget," she commented, before giving the secret of her success.

"I am a perfectionist, I want to be perfect, although I know that perfection doesn't exist... the future holds more work, more titles and hopefully a medal in the Olympic Games." Endi