Origins & Early Life

Ma Lin (Chinese: 马琳; pinyin: Mǎ Lín; born February 19, 1980) is a retired Chinese table tennis player, Olympic champion, and the current Chinese Women's Team Head Coach. Ma learned to play table tennis at age five and became a member of the provincial team in 1990. In 1994, he joined the Chinese national team. Ma is the only male player ever to win Olympic gold in Singles, Doubles and Team.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

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 8 major titles. He has won a total of 18 world championships in his career. Since retiring in December 2013, Ma has been serving as the head coach of the Guangdong provincial table tennis team. He became the head coach of the China National Women's Team in December 2022.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Ma 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 also uses the reverse penhold backhand (RPB), an innovative...

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