Carolina Marin and her father Gonzalo Marin Perez (Facebook/CarolinaMarin)

Rio Olympics women’s singles champion Carolina Marin lost her father Gonzalo Marín Pérez in the early hours of Sunday, the Spanish Badminton Federation, said. Gonzalo Perez had suffered an accident five months ago, in mid-February and unfortunately couldn’t recover from the fall.

The Spanish Badminton Federation said on its website, “The FESBA wishes to express its regret at the death of Gonzalo Marín Pérez, father of Carolina Marín. After a long period of struggle since he suffered an accident in February, Gonzalo has not been able to overcome the effects of it, passing away at dawn on Sunday, July 26. The Spanish badminton extends its support to Carolina Marín and all her family in these difficult moments.”

The defending Olympic champion had rushed home to Huelva after the All England when her father suffered a fall at work. Marin Sr had been hospitalized at a Huelva facility and undergone a surgery. A resident of Santa Barbara, Gonzalo Marin had been a constant source of support for the badminton champion who made history as the country’s first gold medalist in the sport.

Marin had resumed training in Madrid last month. Besides the Olympic title, she is aiming to reclaim the World championship title when the global meet is hosted in the autumn of 2021 in her hometown in Spain.