Ma Lin (table tennis)

Ma Lin (Chinese马 琳/马 琳, Pinyin Mǎ Lín; born February 19, 1980 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China) is a Chinese table tennis player. He is Olympic champion in men's singles, the most successful player at the World Cup tournament, and seven -time world champion in the men's doubles, mixed doubles and in with the Chinese men's national team.

In 2010 he was inducted into the ITTF Hall of Fame.

Career

Ma Lin started to play table tennis at the age of 6 years. Through his talent for movement and feeling for the ball became aware of him at this time a sports school. So he moved at age 12, as his native province of Liaoning team not received him, to Shantou to join the newly founded city there team. After two years of training was Ma Lin was 14 years a member of the Chinese men's national team.

Two years later (1996 ) he achieved by reaching the semi-finals in the men's singles at the ITTF Pro Tour tournament in Belgrade his first international success. In the same year at the Asian Cup he achieved his first tournament victory in singles. In his first World Cup participation in 1997 Ma Lin played in single to the last sixteen. At the World Championship 1999 he improved and reached the singles final, but lost to his compatriot and current men's national team coach Liu Guoliang almost 3:2 in sets. However, in mixed doubles, he won the gold medal together with Zhang Yingying.

Despite good performances Ma Lin was the participation in the Olympic Games in Sydney denied. Only at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Ma Lin was able to attend. Although he retired in individual already in the second round out, but won in doubles together with Chen Qi the gold medal.

Was controversial Ma Lin's participation in the final of the Champions League 2000, which he played with the club SVS Lower Austria. As he had in fact played in the same season already for a Chinese club, the ETTU withdrew her permission to play in order to give him just before the start of the game. Its use was not without consequences, as he lost his two matches without dropping a set profit.

Ma Lin is a three-time runner-up world champion in singles (1999, 2005, 2007 ), which brought him up to his Olympic victory in 2008 in individual reputation as an " eternal second ". The last two World Cup finals, he lost against his long-time rival Wang Liqin - 2007 according to a 3:1 or 7:1 leadership nor with 3:4 in sets.

The Tournament of Champions Ma Lin was - although he had qualified twice for the final tournament and once for the semi-final tournament - without success: In 2006, he lost in the final against Wang Liqin, 2007, he lost in the final against Wang Hao and 2009 lost he semi-final against Wang Hao.

Successful Ma Lin at the World Cup, he has been able to win the only four times. After his first participation in 1998 he was able to reach the first place in his second appearance at the World Cup 2000 in singles.

Ma Lin won until now (August 2012) in all categories ( singles, doubles, mixed doubles, team) 18 World Tournaments (Olympic Games, World Cup, World Cup). In this respect he is the most successful Asian table tennis player. Overall, he has achieved on the pro tour 20 victories in singles and 39 victories in doubles. To date (August 2012) nobody was able to win so many tournaments in doubles at the Pro Tour tournaments.

Since 2001, Ma Lin a regular player of the Chinese national team, with whom he has since then (from 2001 to 2008) obtained under other four World Team Championships in a row ( held together with Wang Liqin world record), as well as the WTC World Team Cup 2007 in Magdeburg, two Pro Tour tournaments and the inaugural team competition at the Olympic Games 2008. in 2007 he became double world champion in mixed doubles, he won the 1999 and 2003 world championship title. Finally His biggest success he achieved in 2008 at the Olympic Games in Beijing, as he gave the former world number one Wang Hao defeated 4-1 in sets in the singles final. With this third gold medal, he is currently the most successful athlete, since table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988.

Ma Lin also plays in the Chinese Super League and was last in the 2009 season at the club Tianjin under contract. From 2000 to 2007, always one club that has played for the Ma Lin won the men's title. In 2012 he was hired by the Russian club UMMC Verkhnyaya Pyshma (formerly Yekaterinburg ).

In December 2013 Ma Lin finished his career in the Chinese national team.

Game style

The play style of Ma Lin is based on a thoughtful and aggressive offensive tactics. He plays as before most Chinese table tennis player, a modified Chinese Penholderstil. As is usual in the classic version, he mostly plays the backhand with the same racquet as the forehand. In addition, however, he also dominates the reverse penholder backhand (reverse penhold backhand ), in which the other racquet is used. However, this new technology is still relatively rare in the world rankings. The classic backhand is Ma Lin primarily to block, reverse to play a topspin. However, the central stroke of his game system is to be more aggressive forehand topspin, with whom he initiates most of his attacks. Other strengths of his game are: among others, his excellent footwork, his dangerous premiums, his touch for short - short game on the table, be safe block play and sometimes other percussion species he deliberately exploits in his game. At the beginning of his career (1999-2000) Ma Lin played mostly a passive block and counter game, coupled with a very safe balloon defense. Later (2001-2003) he played at times an aggressive offensive game. Only in 2004 he sat for the first time the reverse penholder backhand (reverse penhold backhand ) regularly in the game, and then became the modern offensive players.

Ma Lin uses a hard offensive blade ( " Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon Off") with the pads " Skyline 2 " on his forehand side BryceFX on his backhand side.

Private

Since December 2013 Ma Lin is married to the former gymnast Zhang Yaqing.

Achievements

Olympic games

  • Beijing 2008: Olympic champion in singles and with the team
  • Athens 2004: Olympic doubles with Chen Qi

World Championships

  • 2012 in Dortmund: World Champion with the team
  • 2011 in Rotterdam: vice-world champion in doubles with Chen Qi
  • 2010 in Moscow: World champion with the team
  • 2008 in Guangzhou: World Champion with the team
  • 2007 in Zagreb: Vice World Champion in singles, world champion in doubles with Chen Qi
  • In Bremen in 2006: World Champion with the team
  • 2005 Shanghai: Vice World Champion in individual
  • 2004 in Doha: World Champion with the team
  • Paris in 2003: world champion in mixed doubles with Wang Nan
  • 2001 Osaka World Champion with the team
  • 2000 in Kuala Lumpur: Vice World Champion with the team
  • 1999 in Eindhoven: Vice World Champion in singles, world champion Zhang Yining Mixed with

World Cup

  • 2006: 1st Place
  • 2004: 1st Place
  • 2003: 1st Place
  • 2000: 1st Place

Asian Games

  • 2010: 1st place with the team
  • 2006: 1st place in Mixed with Wang Nan and 1st place with the team
  • 2002: 1st place with the team

Asia Cup

  • 2012: 1st place with the team
  • 2007: 1st place with the team
  • 2000: 1st place with the team
  • 1998: 1st place in doubles with Liu Guoliang, 1st place with the team
  • 1996: 1st place in Mixed with Wu Na

Asian Cup

Pro Tour Grand Final

2011: Zhang Jike with double

  • 2007: 1st place in individual
  • 2004: 1st place in doubles with Chen Qi
  • 2003: 1st place in doubles with Chen Qi
  • 2002: 1st place in a double with Kong Linghui
  • 2001: 1st place in individual
  • 1999: 1st place in a double with Qin Zhijian

Pro Tour

  • 2012 Double (Hungarian Open, Qatar Open )
  • Single (China Open)
  • Double ( Qatar Open )
  • Double (Kuwait Open)
  • Single ( Qatar Open, Japan Open)
  • Double (Kuwait Open, Qatar Open, China Open ( Shanghai) )
  • Single ( Qatar Open, French Open, China Open ( Shenzhen) )
  • Double ( Croatian Open, China Open ( Nanjing), French Open )
  • Single (Kuwait Open, China Open, Singapore Open )
  • Double (Kuwait Open, Singapore Open, Japan Open)
  • Single (China Open)
  • Double ( Greece Open, Singapore Open )
  • Double ( U.S. Open, German Open, Nederland Open)
  • Double (Japan Open)
  • Double (Poland Open, Sweden Open)
  • Single (Australian Open)
  • Double ( French Open, Japan Open)
  • Single (Malaysia Open)
  • Double (Sweden Open, Open Yugoslavia, Lebanon Open, China Open, Japan Open)
  • Double (Malaysia Open, Australian Open )

Other successes

World Club Championships

Chinese National Games

  • 2001: 1st place in the individual, 1st place in a double with Liu Guozheng, 1st place with the team
  • 1997: 1st place with the team

Chinese Super League

  • 2007: Team (Ningbo Beilun Haitian)
  • 2006: Team ( Shaanxi Yinhe )
  • 2005: Team ( Shaanxi Yinhe Guoliang )
  • 2004: Team (Guangdong GoTone )
  • 2003: Team (Guangdong GoTone )
  • 2002: Team (Shandong Luneng )
  • 2001: team (8-1 ICBC )
  • 2000: team (8-1 ICBC )

Results from the ITTF database

ITTF World Tour 1999 World Table Tennis Championships Table tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics Chen Qi (table tennis) European Champions League (table tennis) Table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics Wang Hao (table tennis) Table tennis at the Summer Olympics 2012 World Team Table Tennis Championships 2011 World Table Tennis Championships 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships 2008 World Team Table Tennis Championships 2007 World Table Tennis Championships 2006 World Team Table Tennis Championships 2005 World Table Tennis Championships 2004 World Team Table Tennis Championships 2003 World Table Tennis Championships Wang Nan (table tennis) 2001 World Table Tennis Championships 2000 World Team Table Tennis Championships Table Tennis World Cup Asian Table Tennis Championships National Games of the People's Republic of China International Table Tennis Federation Jan-Ove Waldner Ryu Seung-min List of Olympic medalists in table tennis
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