Photo: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ma Lin is quietly one of the most accomplished table tennis players in history, and I feel like he doesn't get nearly enough recognition outside the sport's hardcore fanbase. Born in Shenyang in 1980, he started playing at age five and clawed his way through China's impossibly competitive national system — which, let's be honest, is like making the varsity squad at a school where every single student is a prodigy. What he pulled off at the Olympics is genuinely mind-bending: he's the only male player ever to win gold in singles, doubles, AND team events. That's not a stat you stumble into — that's a career defined by relentless, adaptive brilliance. The 2010 ITTF Hall of Fame induction felt almost understated for someone of his caliber. And now he's coaching the Chinese Women's Team, which tells you everything about how the sport's insiders rate him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ma Lin
- Name (Japanese)
- 馬琳
- Reading
- ま・りん
- Born
- February 19, 1980 (age 46)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Monkey
- Origin
- Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Height
- 173 cm
- Occupation
- table tennis player
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2010 ITTF Hall of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%AC%E7%90%B3
Frequently asked questions
When was Ma Lin born?
Born February 19, 1980 (age 46).
Where is Ma Lin from?
Ma Lin is from Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
What does Ma Lin do?
Ma Lin works as table tennis player.
How tall is Ma Lin?
Ma Lin is 173 cm.
Table tennis player — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.