Ma Lin

Ma Lin (born February 19, 1980) is a retired Chinese table tennis player and the current Chinese Women's Team Head Coach.

He learned to play table tennis at the age of five and became a member of the provincial team in 1990.

In 1994, he joined the Chinese national team.

Ma Lin is the only male player ever to win Olympic gold in Singles, Doubles and Team.

Additionally, he previously held a professional era record of 5 major titles (4 World Cups and 1 Olympic Gold), having won more World Cups than any other male table tennis player in history.

He has since been surpassed by Ma Long who has won 7 major titles.

He has won a total of 18 world championships in his life.

The 1st time, in the 1999 World Table Tennis Championships in Eindhoven, Ma Lin played a heroic role, defeated Samsonov and Waldner, and reached the final.

In the final, Ma Lin faced Liu Guoliang.The two fought to a 2-2 draw, and Liu Guoliang led 23-22 in the final game.

He has won four World Cup trophies (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006), more than any other player in history, but has lost three times in the World Championship finals (1999, 2005, 2007).

Three times he reached the final, but three times he returned with hatred.

2004 Olympics: Coaches Cai Zhenhua said that Ma Lin was the best of the three Chinese players.

Surprisingly in the following round Ma Lin lost to Waldner.

Ma Lin was shocked, and the coaches suddenly had a big problem: there was no one protecting the bottom half of the draw.

They were also worried about men’s doubles, because one of their two pairs had been eliminated in the first round.

If Ma Lin could not adjust in time, with Chen Qi’s inexperience, the last pair might be out of the event before long.

Ma Lin and Chen Qi were able to withstand the pressure, won the next three rounds, and the important gold for China.

Ma Lin / Chen Qi played against Denmark’s Maze / Tugwell who just eliminated Waldner / Persson in the semifinals.

Ma Lin blocked and Liu Guoliang won 24-22.The 2nd time, in the 2005 Shanghai World Table Tennis Championships, in the men’s singles final, Ma Lin trailed Wang Liqin 2-3 and 7-10 in the 6th game.

Finally, Ma Lin lost the match 7-11.The 3rd time, at the World Table Tennis Championships in Zagreb in 2007, Ma Lin met Wang Liqin again in the final.

Ma Lin made full preparations, leading 3-1 and 7-1 in the fifth game.

However, Wang Liqin staged a shocking reversal and once again defeated Ma Lin.

Since retiring in December 2013, Ma Lin has been serving as the head coach of the Guangdong provincial table tennis team.

Ma Lin has been appointed as the head coach of the China National Women's Team from December 2022.

Ma Lin uses the penhold grip.

An aggressive player, he is known for his converse unpredictable serves, heavy short push receives, fast footwork, and powerful third ball attacks.

In addition to possessing a solid backhand block, Ma Lin also uses the reverse penhold backhand (RPB), an innovative stroke utilizing the underside of the blade which allows a penholder to produce topspin from both wings.

The most dangerous weapon Ma Lin has in his arsenal, however, is his consistent forehand loop, which he often uses to end a point decisively.

He is also considered a master at serving and his serve is considered one of the best in the world, earning the nickname "Ghost Service".

It involves the ball bouncing back to the net instead of going straight off the table.

Because of this, Ma Lin has claimed the titles "Maestro Ma Lin," "Defense Killer," and "Table Tennis Olympic Champion."

Ma Lin is currently using a Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive Penhold as his blade.

He uses DHS NEO Skyline 2 TG2 for his forehand and Butterfly Bryce Speed FX for his backhand.

In the China Table Tennis Super League, Ma Lin played for Bayi Gongshang, Shandong Luneng, Guangdong Gotone, Shaanxi Yinhe and Ningbo Haitan.

His transfer to Shaanxi Yinhe for over 5 million Chinese yuan was a league record.

His next transfer was to Ningbo Haitan for just 1.3 million yuan (US$168,000), including 1 million yuan in salary.

Ma Lin’s training attitude was very serious, especially during the preparation for the Guangdong Ninth National Games.

The training volume is large and the training time is long.

Ma Lin not only practiced hard to serve but also practiced multiple balls back and forth, which requires a wide range of running.

He practiced so hard that broke a pair of sneakers every week.