Outstanding Ma awarded

Ma Long holds his latest award. XINHUA

Table tennis icon Ma Long is recognized for his talents by ANOC

马龙获得国际奥协杰出运动生涯奖

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Chinese table tennis icon (偶像) Ma Long received the Outstanding Sporting Career Award from the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) on Oct 30, recognizing his exceptional achievements and contributions to the sport, Xinhua reported. The award ceremony was held in the coastal town of Cascais, Portugal.

During the ceremony, a video highlighted memorable moments from Ma’s career. Ma, 36, has competed in four consecutive (连续的) Olympic Games since London 2012. Over his Olympic career, he has won six gold medals, becoming China’s most decorated Olympian.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he clinched (成功赢得) his first singles gold, completing a career Grand Slam (大满贯). A Grand Slam is earned by a player who wins singles titles at the Olympic Games, WTTC and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup. Five years later in Tokyo, he defended his title, becoming the first male table tennis player to claim back-to-back Olympic singles titles and achieving the status of the first “double Grand Slam” champion in the sport.

“Hero,” “legend,” “genius” ‑ Ma has been described with many admiring words, but his journey has not been an easy one by any means. In 2007, Ma participated in his first World Table Tennis Championships but only reached the round of 16. In 2009, 2011, and 2013, he made it to the semifinals but missed out on the finals each time, which was a cause of great frustration. His biggest setback came at the end of 2014 during the ITTF Men’s World Cup, where he lost to Zhang Jike in a close match, 3 to 4. This painful defeat pushed him to the brink (边缘) of giving up on table tennis.

After this loss, Liu Guoliang, the head coach of the Chinese national team, suggested that Ma change the backhand rubber (反手胶皮) he had used for many years to adapt to different playing styles and needs. For a 26-year-old, switching equipment was both risky and challenging, but it led to a turning point. In 2015, at the ITTF World Championships in Suzhou, Ma won the men’s singles title, achieving a dream he had held for many years, according to China Sports Daily.

“I’m lucky because I found my passion ‑ table tennis ‑ at a young age and dreamed about competing on the Olympic stage one day. So I have always had this dream, been willing to give my all to this sport, and I’ve never ever given up,” Ma said at the ceremony.