Spanish and Chinese badminton stars relive magical moment in Madrid

WATCH: CGTN's Ken Browne reports on this amazing sporting tale

The hug the world wanted, the hug the world needed - Carolina Marin and He Bingjiao were back together again in Madrid after a sporting gesture at the Paris Olympics that won hearts worldwide.

Spanish shuttler Marin presented He with an award recognizing that iconic moment of friendship and respect.

The two met in the women's badminton singles semi-final that ended in tears when another horror knee injury cut short Marin's gold medal dreams.

The Spaniard broke badminton's glass ceiling when she became the first non-Asian woman to win Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games. She desperately wanted another in Paris.

He Bingjiao was clearly upset after the semi-final too, wiping away the tears away in her post-match interviews.

She eventually secured the silver medal but it was what she did next that went viral, holding up the Spanish Olympic pin on the podium in a show of love and support for Marin.

'Eternally grateful'

"I didn't know how I could talk to Carolina at the time," the Chinese shuttler told CGTN at the 'Relevo For Change' sporting awards ceremony.

"Then I thought she would probably be watching the final so it was a direct way to speak to her and show my support and respect for her, to let her know that I have always admired her, I have always been with her. I always believe she can overcome any difficulty.

On the red carpet, Marin said: "We're talking about a moment on an Olympic podium when she was receiving her silver medal and she held up the pin the entire time. It's a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life and I'm eternally grateful.

"I felt a lot of love from Chinese fans and people from all over the world afterwards. Obviously I went to Paris aiming to win gold, but I came away with something much more valuable, the love and support of so many people."

Marin presented a special award to He on Thursday night at the 'Relevo for Change' gala in the Spanish capital for her exemplary representation of sporting values.

China's ambassador to Spain Yao Jing was also at the event and called the award a symbol of the close ties between the two countries.

He told CGTN: "First it is the demonstration of the Olympic spirit, second it's a demonstration of the very hard and deep-rooted friendship between Spain and China. This kind of friendship is rooted in the hearts of the two peoples."

It was a moment that transcended sport given another podium in Madrid. "We're like lifelong friends," Marin added.