- Ma Lin (table tennis)
Infobox Tabletennis player
playername= Ma Lin
imagesize=250px
caption =
fullname = Ma Lin
nicknames =
nationality = CHN
playingstyle = Pen holder grip
birthdate = birth date and age|1980|02|19
birthplace =Shenyang ,CHN
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = height|m=1.73
weight = convert|73.0|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
medaltemplates=|Ma Lin (zh-s|马琳, born
February 19 ,1980 ) is a maletable tennis player born in theShenyang ,Liaoning Province ofChina . He is the world's number two ranked player as of December 5, 2007 in theInternational Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).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. At the
2008 Summer Olympics , Ma won gold in both the singles and team competitions, becoming the third Chinese male player to achieve this feat.Ma Lin now holds a professional era record of 10 major titles (7 World Cups, 3 Olympic golds). Should he be able to win a World Championship, he will be the fourth player to achieve a Grand Slam in table tennis.
Style and equipment
Ma Lin uses the penhold grip. An aggressive player, he is known for his diverse unpredictable serves, fast footwork, and powerful third ball attacks. In addition to possessing a solid backhand push, Ma Lin also frequently 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.
Ma Lin has been using Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive Penhold as his blade. He uses Skyline 2 for his forehand, and Bryce for his backhand.
Career
In China, Ma Lin is famous for his dedication to training ("拼命三郎"); in his early days, he was known for wearing down the soles of his shoes in just three days. He has won the four World Cup trophies (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006), more than any other player in history, but has lost three times in the World Championship finals (1999, 2005, 2007).
Ma Lin has been criticized often for his lack of mental resolve, crumbling in crucial moments. Despite his victories in 1999, he performed poorly in the national trials and was denied a berth in the
2000 Sydney Olympics . He was seeded first in World Championship at Zagreb (2007); however, he lost in the final to his compatriotWang Liqin , after leading 3–1 in games, and being 7–1 up in the fifth. At a post-match press conference, he received a phone call that his maternal grandfather had committed suicide before the tournament began.In the
2008 Beijing Olympics , Ma Lin won the teams competition with his compatriotsWang Liqin and Wang Hao. In the men's singles, Ma Lin defeated Korean playerOh Sang Eun in the quarterfinals (4-0), his rival Wang Liqin in the semifinals (4-2), and world number 1 Wang Hao in the finals (4-1). Ma Lin is now 12-7 head-to-head against Wang Hao.Ma Lin has an amazing 88.7% winning rate against all his opponents.
Titles
* 1999 Men's World Championship 2nd Place
* 2000 Men's World Cup champion
* 2002 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals Men's Singles Title
* 2003 Men's World Cup champion
* 2004 Athens Olympic Games champion doubles (with Chen Qi)
* 2004 Men's World Cup champion
* 2005 Men's World Championship 2nd place
* 2006 Men's World Cup champion
* 2007 Men's World Championship 2nd place
* 2007 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals Men's Singles Title
* 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Men's Singles champion and Men's Team champion.References
* [http://www.tabletennismaster.com/ma-lin.html Career profile of Ma Lin] Table Tennis Master
* [http://delegation.olympic.cn/yundongyuan/yundongyuan-e.php?Array=841 Chinese Olympic Committee profile]
* [http://index.sports.sohu.com/person/plist.php?userid=639 Sohu Profile]
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MALIN01 dataOlympics profile]
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