Table tennis world champion Ma Long greets fans while attending the sports demonstration during the Chinese mainland Olympian delegation's visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in China's Hong Kong, December 4, 2021. /CFP
Chinese grand slam table tennis player Ma Long shared the stories of his career at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) during the visit of Chinese mainland Olympian delegation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday.
"As long as you love what you do, you are always in your best year," the 33-year-old veteran who won the men's singles gold medal in the Tokyo Olympic Games, said in front of students, lecturers and working staff of PolyU.
Ma began to play table tennis when he was five years old as a way to build up his health. He began to follow table tennis competitions regularly for the first time during the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.
"I felt that my blood was boiling when I saw Chinese athletes kiss the national flag on their jerseys to celebrate winning the title," Ma said. "That's when I made the wish that I would play on behalf of China and win the gold medal someday."
Ma Long of China wins the men's singles table tennis final in the Rio Olympics at Rio Centro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 11, 2016. /CFP
That's also when playing table tennis changed from a hobby to a bond that carried the dream of Ma. He attended the World Table Tennis Championships for the first time at 18 in Bremen and received his first team event title. In 2015, Ma won his first men's singles gold in the World Championships.
Having won the men's singles gold in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Ma had all the honors he needed to complete a grand slam record. "It's the happiest moment in my life to watch the Chinese national flag fly because of me. Finally, I have realized my dream of making my country proud," Ma said.
He was 28 years old after Rio 2016, but was already one of the most successful table tennis players in history. That's why many began to ask: would he retire in his best year?
Ma's coach Qin Zhijian asked him the same question: would they go to Tokyo in 2020? Ma said he wanted to because he could still play. Qin told him that alone was not enough for motivation. Ma admitted that he couldn't fully understand what the coach meant back then.
What came along with Ma's dominance were various injuries, especially with his knees. He gave up a lot of events from the second half of 2018 and stayed away from table tennis for as long as eight months.
Ma Long of China wins the men's singles table tennis final in the Tokyo Olympics at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, July 30, 2021. /CFP
Ma chose to undergo surgery after the World Championships in Budapest in 2019. "The Tokyo Olympics were less than a year away and taking the surgery was the only option for me," Ma said.
"It was the long period of time during which I couldn't play table tennis that made me realize how much I love this sport," Ma said. "I told myself, even if I miss the Tokyo Olympics because of injury, I will still come back and continue to play."
Like the rest of the world, Ma used to have doubts if he could ever return to his best form after suffering so many injuries. "I realized at the darkest moment of my career that table tennis has become an integral part of my life. It has settled down inside me. I couldn't love it more."
As a professional athlete, Ma had to face winning and losing in every match he played. "Your only way to success is through the will to win and hard-work. But sports taught us more than just winning and losing. We must have the bravery to start over after losing and the faith of not giving up even in desperate times," Ma said.