Ma Lin (table tennis) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ma Lin
Ma Lin in 2013
Personal information
Native name	马琳
Full name	Ma Lin
Nationality	China
Born	(1980-02-19) 19 February 1980 (age 45) Shenyang, China
Playing style	Chinese Penhold
Highest ranking	1 (October 2002)
Height	174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 0 0 World Championships 9 7 4 World Cup 6 0 1 Men's table tennis Representing  China Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Doubles Gold 2008 Beijing Singles Gold 2008 Beijing Team World Championships Gold 1999 Eindhoven Mixed Doubles Gold 2001 Osaka Team Gold 2003 Paris Mixed Doubles Gold 2004 Doha Team Gold 2006 Bremen Team Gold 2007 Zagreb Doubles Gold 2008 Guangzhou Team Gold 2010 Moscow Team Gold 2012 Dortmund Team Silver 1999 Eindhoven Singles Silver 2000 Kuala Lumpur Team Silver 2005 Shanghai Singles Silver 2007 Zagreb Singles Silver 2007 Zagreb Mixed Doubles Silver 2013 Paris Doubles Silver 2011 Rotterdam Doubles Bronze 2001 Osaka Singles Bronze 2003 Paris Doubles Bronze 2005 Shanghai Doubles Bronze 2009 Yokohama Singles World Cup Gold 2000 Yangzhou Singles Gold 2003 Jiangyin Singles Gold 2004 Hangzhou Singles Gold 2006 Paris Singles Gold 2007 Magdeburg Team Gold 2011 Magdeburg Team Bronze 2005 Liége Singles ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Gold 1999 Sydney Doubles Gold 2001 Hainan Singles Gold 2002 Stockholm Doubles Gold 2003 Guangzhou Doubles Gold 2004 Beijing Doubles Gold 2007 Beijing Singles Gold 2011 London Doubles Silver 1998 Paris Doubles Silver 2004 Beijing Singles Silver 2006 Hong Kong Doubles Silver 2007 Beijing Doubles Bronze 2000 Kobe Singles Bronze 2000 Kobe Doubles Bronze 2006 Hong Kong Singles Bronze 2008 Macau Singles Asian Games Gold 2002 Busan Team Gold 2006 Doha Mixed Doubles Gold 2006 Doha Team Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team Silver 2006 Doha Singles Silver 2006 Doha Doubles Silver 2010 Guangzhou Doubles Bronze 2002 Busan Doubles Bronze 2002 Busan Mixed Doubles Asian Championships Gold 1996 Kallang Mixed Doubles Gold 1998 Osaka Doubles Gold 1998 Osaka Team Gold 2000 Doha Team Gold 2007 Yangzhou Team Silver 1996 Kallang Team Bronze 1996 Kallang Singles Bronze 2000 Doha Singles Asian Cup Gold 1996 New Delhi Singles

Ma Lin (born February 19, 1980) is a famous retired Chinese table tennis player. He is an Olympic champion and now coaches the Chinese Women's Team.

Ma started playing table tennis when he was five years old. By 1990, he joined his province's team. In 1994, he became part of the Chinese national team. Ma is the only male player to win Olympic gold medals in Singles, Doubles, and Team events.

He won four World Cups and one Olympic Gold medal. This was a record for major titles at the time. He won more World Cups than any other male table tennis player in history. Later, another player named Ma Long won even more major titles. Ma Lin has won 18 world championships in his career.

After he stopped playing professionally in December 2013, Ma became a coach. He coached the Guangdong provincial table tennis team. In December 2022, he became the head coach for the China National Women's Team.

Ma Lin's Playing Style

Ma Lin uses a special way to hold his paddle called the penhold grip. He is a very aggressive player. He is known for his tricky and surprising serves. He also has strong short push returns and moves his feet very fast. His powerful "third ball attacks" are a key part of his game.

Ma has a strong backhand block. He also uses a new shot called the "reverse penhold backhand" (RPB). This shot lets him put topspin on the ball from both sides of the paddle. His most powerful weapon is his consistent forehand loop. He often uses this shot to win points quickly.

Ma is also known as a master of serving. His serve is thought to be one of the best in the world. People even call it the "Ghost Service." This is because the ball can bounce back towards the net instead of going straight off the table.

Because of his amazing skills, Ma Lin has been called "Maestro Ma Lin" and "Defense Killer." He is also known as the "Table Tennis Olympic Champion."

Ma Lin's Equipment

Ma Lin uses a Yasaka Ma Long Extra Offensive Penhold blade. For his forehand, he uses DHS NEO Skyline 2 TG2 rubber. For his backhand, he uses Butterfly Bryce Speed FX rubber.

Ma Lin's Career Highlights

Ma Lin at the 2012 Qatar Open

Ma Lin played for several teams in the China Table Tennis Super League. These included Bayi Gongshang and Shandong Luneng. He was very serious about his training. He practiced serving and moving around the table a lot. He trained so hard that he wore out a pair of sneakers every week!

Ma won the World Cup four times (in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2006). This is more than any other player in history. However, he lost three times in the finals of the World Championships.

In 1999, he reached the World Championship final. He played against Liu Guoliang and lost a very close match. In 2005, he lost to Wang Liqin in the final. Then, in 2007, he faced Wang Liqin again and lost once more.

Olympic Success

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Ma Lin was considered one of China's best players. He surprisingly lost a match to Jan-Ove Waldner. This made his coaches worried. However, Ma Lin and his partner Chen Qi worked hard. They won the men's doubles gold medal for China.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ma Lin had a fantastic performance. He won the team competition with his teammates Wang Liqin and Wang Hao. In the men's singles event, Ma Lin played against Wang Hao in the final. Ma Lin won the match, earning his first Olympic singles gold medal.

Ma Lin is seen as a true "Olympiad" of table tennis. He won all possible Olympic titles: doubles in 2004, and singles and team events in 2008. He was honored by being added to the ITTF Hall of Fame in 2010.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing professionally, Ma Lin became a coach for the Chinese national team. Since 2013, he has coached the Guangdong provincial team. In December 2022, he was named the head coach of the China National Women's Team.

Personal Life

Ma Lin married Zhang Yaqing in December 2013. They had a son on April 19, 2016. Ma Lin once said, "Table tennis would be my wife forever. This will never change."

Major Achievements

Here are some of Ma Lin's most important wins:

• Olympic Games:

* 2004 Athens: Gold Medal (Doubles, with Chen Qi) * 2008 Beijing: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2008 Beijing: Gold Medal (Team, with Wang Liqin & Wang Hao)

• World Championships:

* 1999 Eindhoven: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 2001 Osaka: Gold Medal (Team) * 2003 Paris: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 2004 Doha: Gold Medal (Team) * 2006 Bremen: Gold Medal (Team) * 2007 Zagreb: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2008 Guangzhou: Gold Medal (Team) * 2010 Moscow: Gold Medal (Team) * 2012 Dortmund: Gold Medal (Team)

• World Cup:

* 2000 Yangzhou: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2003 Jiangyin: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2004 Hangzhou: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2006 Paris: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2007 Magdeburg: Gold Medal (Team) * 2011 Magdeburg: Gold Medal (Team)

• Pro Tour Grand Finals:

* 1999 Sydney: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2001 Hainan: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2002 Stockholm: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2003 Guangzhou: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2004 Beijing: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2007 Beijing: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2011 London: Gold Medal (Doubles)

• Asian Games:

* 2002 Busan: Gold Medal (Team) * 2006 Doha: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 2006 Doha: Gold Medal (Team) * 2010 Guangzhou: Gold Medal (Team)

• Asian Championships:

* 1996 Kallang: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 1998 Osaka: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 1998 Osaka: Gold Medal (Team) * 2000 Doha: Gold Medal (Team) * 2007 Yangzhou: Gold Medal (Team)

• Asian Cup:

* 1996 New Delhi: Gold Medal (Singles)

• National Games:

* 1997 Shanghai: Gold Medal (Team) * 2001 Guangzhou: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2001 Guangzhou: Gold Medal (Doubles)

• National Championships:

* 1998: Gold Medal (Team) * 1998: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 1999: Gold Medal (Singles) * 1999: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2003: Gold Medal (Team) * 2003: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 2006: Gold Medal (Singles) * 2006: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2006: Gold Medal (Mixed Doubles) * 2007: Gold Medal (Doubles) * 2010: Gold Medal (Team) * 2011: Gold Medal (Doubles)

Images for kids

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  Gold Medal

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  Silver Medal

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  Bronze Medal

See also

In Spanish: Ma Lin (tenista de mesa) para niños

• List of table tennis players