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 (Chinese: 马琳; pinyin: Mǎ Lín; born February 19, 1980) is a retired Chinese table tennis player. He is an Olympic champion and currently the head coach for the Chinese Women's Table Tennis Team.

Ma Lin 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 Lin is the only male player in history to win Olympic gold medals in Singles, Doubles, and Team events. He won more World Cups than any other male player, with four titles. He also won an Olympic gold, making a total of five major titles. Later, another player named Ma Long won even more major titles. Ma Lin has won 18 world championships during his amazing career.

After he stopped playing professionally in December 2013, Ma Lin became a coach. He first coached the table tennis team for Guangdong province. In December 2022, he was chosen to be the head coach for the China National Women's Team.

Ma Lin's Playing Style

Ma Lin used a special way of holding his paddle called the penhold grip. He was a very aggressive player. People knew him for his tricky serves that were hard to predict. He was also great at returning short shots and moving his feet quickly. His powerful "third ball attacks" were a key part of his game.

Ma Lin's Special Moves

Ma Lin had a strong backhand block. He also used an advanced move called the "reverse penhold backhand" (RPB). This move allowed him to hit the ball with topspin from both sides of the paddle. His most dangerous skill was his consistent forehand loop. He often used this shot to win points quickly.

The "Ghost Service"

Ma Lin was also known as a master of serving. His serve was so good, it was called the "Ghost Service." This was because the ball would sometimes bounce back towards the net instead of going straight off the table. Because of his amazing skills, he earned nicknames like "Maestro Ma Lin" and "Defense Killer." He was also called the "Table Tennis Olympic Champion."

Ma Lin's Equipment

Ma Lin used a special paddle called the Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive Penhold. For his forehand, he used a DHS NEO Skyline 2 TG2 rubber. For his backhand, he used a 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, Shandong Luneng, Guangdong Gotone, Shaanxi Yinhe, and Ningbo Haitan. He was very dedicated to his training. He practiced so hard that he would wear out a pair of sneakers every week!

World Championship Finals

Ma Lin won four World Cup trophies (in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2006). This was more than any other player at the time. However, he reached the finals of the World Championships three times but finished as the runner-up each time.

• In 1999, he lost to Liu Guoliang in a very close match.
• In 2005, he lost to Wang Liqin in Shanghai.
• In 2007, he faced Wang Liqin again in Zagreb and lost, even after leading early in the match.

Olympic Success

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Ma Lin and his partner Chen Qi won the gold medal in men's doubles. This was a big win for China.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ma Lin had an incredible performance. He won the gold medal in the men's team event with his teammates Wang Liqin and Wang Hao. Then, in the men's singles final, he defeated Wang Hao to win his first Olympic singles gold medal.

Ma Lin is seen as a true Olympic legend in table tennis. He won every possible title at the Olympics: doubles in 2004, and singles and team events in 2008. In 2010, Ma Lin was honored by being inducted into the ITTF Hall of Fame.

Coaching Career

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

Personal Life

Ma Lin married actress Zhang Yi in late 2004, but they divorced in 2009. He later said, "Table tennis would be my wife forever. This will never change." In December 2013, Ma Lin married Zhang Yaqing. They had a son on April 19, 2016.

Achievements

Olympic Games:

• 2004 Athens: Champion (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2008 Beijing: Champion (Singles)
• 2008 Beijing: Champion (Team, with Wang Liqin & Wang Hao)

World Championships:

• 1999 Eindhoven: Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Zhang Yingying), Runner-up (Singles)
• 2000 Kuala Lumpur: Runner-up (Team)
• 2001 Osaka: Champion (Team), Third (Singles)
• 2003 Paris: Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Wang Nan), Third (Doubles, with Qin Zhijian)
• 2004 Doha: Champion (Team)
• 2005 Shanghai: Runner-up (Singles), Third (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2006 Bremen: Champion (Team)
• 2007 Zagreb: Champion (Doubles, with Chen Qi), Runner-up (Singles), Runner-up (Mixed Doubles, with Wang Nan)
• 2008 Guangzhou: Champion (Team)
• 2009 Yokohama: Third (Singles)
• 2010 Moscow: Champion (Team)
• 2011 Rotterdam: Runner-up (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2012 Dortmund: Champion (Team)
• 2013 Paris: Runner-up (Doubles, with Hao Shuai)

World Cup:

• 2000 Yangzhou: Champion (Singles)
• 2003 Jiangyin: Champion (Singles)
• 2004 Hangzhou: Champion (Singles)
• 2005 Liege: Third (Singles)
• 2006 Paris: Champion (Singles)
• 2007 Magdeburg: Champion (Team)
• 2011 Magdeburg: Champion (Team)

Pro Tour Grand Finals:

• 1998 Paris: Runner-up (Doubles, with Qin Zhijian)
• 1999 Sydney: Champion (Doubles, with Kong Linghui)
• 2000 Kobe: Third (Singles), Third (Doubles, with Liu Guozheng)
• 2001 Hainan: Champion (Singles)
• 2002 Stockholm: Champion (Doubles, with Kong Linghui)
• 2003 Guangzhou: Champion (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2004 Beijing: Champion (Doubles, with Chen Qi), Runner-up (Singles)
• 2006 Hong Kong: Runner-up (Doubles, with Chen Qi), Third (Singles)
• 2007 Beijing: Champion (Singles), Runner-up (Doubles, with Wang Hao)
• 2008 Macau: Third (Singles)
• 2011 London: Champion (Doubles, with Zhang Jike)

Pro Tour Singles Winner (×20)

• 1998 Malaysia Open
• 1999 Australian Open
• 2001 Danish Open
• 2002 USA Open, German Open, Polish Open, Danish Open
• 2003 Korea Open, China Open, Danish Open
• 2004 China Open (Wuxi)
• 2006 Kuwait Open, China Open, Singapore Open
• 2007 Qatar Open, China Open (Nanjing), French Open
• 2008 Qatar Open, Japan Open
• 2011 China Open (Shenzhen)

Pro Tour Doubles Winner (×37)

• 1997 Australian Open, Malaysia Open
• 1998 Japan Open, China Open, Lebanon Open, Yugoslav Open, Swedish Open
• 1999 Japan Open, French Open
• 2000 Polish Open, Swedish Open
• 2001 Japan Open
• 2002 USA Open, German Open, Netherlands Open
• 2003 Korea Open, China Open, Japan Open, Danish Open, Swedish Open
• 2004 Greece Open, Singapore Open, China Open (Wuxi)
• 2006 Kuwait Open, Singapore Open, Japan Open
• 2007 Croatia Open, China Open (Shenzhen), French Open
• 2008 Kuwait Open, Qatar Open, China Open
• 2009 Kuwait Open
• 2010 Qatar Open, China Open
• 2011 UAE Open, China Open (Suzhou)

Asian Games:

• 2002 Busan: Champion (Team), Third (Doubles & with Kong Linghui), Third (Mixed Doubles & with Li Nan)
• 2006 Doha: Champion (Team), Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Wang Nan), Runner-up (Singles), Runner-up (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2010 Guangzhou: Champion (Team), Runner-up (Doubles, with Xu Xin)

Asian Championships:

• 1996 Kallang: Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Wu Na), Runner-up (Team), Third (Singles)
• 1998 Osaka: Champion (Team), Champion (Doubles, with Liu Guoliang)
• 2000 Doha: Champion (Team), Third (Singles)
• 2007 Yangzhou: Champion (Team)

Asian Cup:

• 1996 New Delhi: Champion (Singles)

National Games:

• 1997 Shanghai: Champion (Team), Runner-up (Singles)
• 2001 Guangzhou: Champion (Singles), Champion (Doubles, with Liu Guozheng)
• 2005 Nanjing: Runner-up (Doubles, with Zhangchao)
• 2009 Shandong: Runner-up (Team)

National Championships:

• 1998: Champion (Team), Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Sun Jin), Runner-up (Doubles, with Qin Zhijian), Third (Singles)
• 1999: Champion (Singles), Champion (Doubles, with Qin Zhijian), Third (Mixed Doubles, with Zhang Yingying)
• 2003: Champion (Team), Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Wang Nan), Third (Doubles, with Chen Qi)
• 2006: Champion (Singles), Champion (Doubles, with Chen Qi), Champion (Mixed Doubles, with Wang Nan)
• 2007: Champion (Doubles, with Wang Liqin)
• 2010: Champion (Team), Third (Doubles, with Zhang Jike)
• 2011: Champion (Doubles, with Wang Hao), Runner-up (Singles), Third (Team)
• 2012: Third (Doubles, with Zhangchao)

See also

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

• List of table tennis players