Ma Lin (Chinese: 马麟, born December 25, 1989) is a Chinese-Australian table tennis player who has only a left arm.[1] He has won for gold, three silver and one bronze Paralympic medals in representing China and Australia over five games. He competed for Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Ma Lin
Ma Lin in 2019
Personal information
ResidenceMelbourne, Australia (since 2017)
Born (1989-12-25) 25 December 1989 (age 34)
Mudanjiang,[1] Heilongjiang, China
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight80 kg (176 lb)[2]
Table tennis career
Playing styleLeft-handed shakehand grip
Disability class9
Highest ranking1 (April 2007)[3]
Current ranking6 (February 2020)
Medal record
Men's para table tennis
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Singles C9–10
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team C9–10
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Singles C9
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Singles C8-10
Representing  China
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Teams C9–10
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Teams C9–10
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Teams C9–10
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Singles C9–10
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Montreux Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Montreux Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Gwangju Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Gwangju Teams C9–10
Gold medal – first place 2014 Beijing Singles C9
Silver medal – second place 2010 Gwangju Open singles standing
Silver medal – second place 2014 Beijing Teams C9–10
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Andalucia Singles C9
Silver medal – second place 2022 Andalucia Mixed Doubles 20
Asian Para Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guangzhou Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guangzhou Teams C9–10
Gold medal – first place 2014 Incheon Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2014 Incheon Teams C9–10
FESPIC Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Kuala Lumpur Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Kuala Lumpur Teams C9
Silver medal – second place 2006 Kuala Lumpur Open singles standing
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Kuala Lumpur Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2005 Kuala Lumpur Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2007 Seoul Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Amman Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Amman Open singles standing
Gold medal – first place 2011 Hong Kong Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2011 Hong Kong Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Beijing Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Beijing Teams C9
Gold medal – first place 2015 Amman Singles C9
Gold medal – first place 2015 Amman Teams C9
Silver medal – second place 2007 Seoul Singles C9–10
Silver medal – second place 2007 Seoul Open singles standing
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Amman Singles C9
FESPIC Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Shanghai Open singles standing
Gold medal – first place 2003 Shanghai Teams C9
Ma Lin
Traditional Chinese馬麟
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMǎ Lín

Biography

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Ma lost his right arm at age 5, after he went to the zoo with other children and stuck his arm in a cage to feed a bear.[2][4] He sustained a knee injury in the 2014 World Para Table Tennis Championships in Beijing.[5] Ma moved to Melbourne,[1] Australia in 2017.[3]

Table Tennis

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He was named the 2013 Male Para-Table Tennis Star during the ITTF Star Awards in January 2014.[6]

He also registered with Table Tennis Australia, and competed in the Australian Open during the 2019 ITTF World Tour (with able-bodied athletes), losing his only match 0–4 to Thailand's Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon.[7]

He represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where he won silver medals in Men's Singles C9-10 and Men's Team C9-10 with Nathan Pellissier and Joel Coughlan.[8][9]

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal in the Men's singles C8–10.[10]

He competed at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the Men's Singles 9 and Men's Doubles 18. He won the bronze medal in the Men's Singles 9 after being defeated by Lucas Didier in the semi-final.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ma Lin - profile". IPTTC.org. ITTF Para Table Tennis. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Ma Lin". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2 February 2020.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Ma Lin - ranking history". IPTTC.org. ITTF Para Table Tennis. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. ^ Lin Benjian; Zhao Baotong (17 September 2008). "马麟向马琳看齐". Yangcheng Evening News (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Ma Lin targets table tennis trifecta". International Paralympic Committee. 7 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Paralympians honoured at ITTF's Star Awards". International Paralympic Committee. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Ma Lin". ITTF. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Para-Table Tennis Squad's Tokyo Build-Up A 'Brilliant Example Of Teamwork'". Paralympics Australia. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Ma Lin". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  10. ^ "2022 Commonwealth Games Results". Commonwealth Games Australia. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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