<p>MADRID — Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marín will not defend her title at the Tokyo Games because of a knee injury.</p>
<p>Marín said Tuesday that medical tests confirmed she has damage to her meniscus and a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. The Spanish star is expected to undergo surgery this week. </p>
<p>“It’s another tough blow that I will have to overcome,” Marín said on her Instagram account. “But make no mistake about it, I’ll be back.”</p>
<p>Marín, a three-time world champion and a five-time European champion, was injured during training last week. She had a similar injury in her right knee in 2019.</p>
<p>Marín was one of Spain’s best hopes for a gold medal in Tokyo, having reached the final in all five tournaments she played this year, winning four of them.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP sports: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports">https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>
