Ma Long: You’re in your best year as long as you love what you do

Chinese grand slam table tennis player Ma Long shared his career stories at the Hong Kong Polytechnic (PolyU) with a visit from the Mainland China Olympics delegation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday.

“As long as you love what you do, you’re always at your best,” the 33-year-old veteran, who won the men’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, said in front of students, lecturers and staff. PolyU.

Mom started playing table tennis at the age of five to improve her health. He started watching table tennis competitions regularly for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“I felt my blood boil when I saw Chinese athletes kissing the national flag in their jerseys to celebrate the championship,” Ma said. “That’s when I hoped I would play for China and win a gold medal one day.”

That’s when playing table tennis also turned from a hobby into a bond that carried Ma’s dream. He participated in the World Table Tennis Championships for the first time at the age of 18 in Bremen and won his first team event title. In 2015, Ma won the first men’s singles gold at the World Championships.

After winning gold in the men’s singles at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, Ma received all the honors he needed to achieve the grand slam record. “It’s the happiest moment of my life to see the Chinese flag hover over me. I finally realized my dream of making my country proud,” Ma said.

He was 28 years old after Rio in 2016, but was already one of the most successful table tennis players in history. That’s why many began to ask: will he retire in his best year?

Ma’s coach Qin Zhijian asked him the same question: would they go to Tokyo in 2020? Mom said she wanted to because she could still play. Qin told him that it alone was not enough to motivate. Ma admitted that she didn’t fully understand what the coach meant then.

Ma’s dominance was associated with various injuries, especially in the knees. He gave up many events in the second half of 2018 and stayed away from table tennis for up to eight months.

Ma decided to go for surgery after the 2019 World Cup in Budapest. “Sure, the Olympics were less than a year away, and attending the surgery was the only option for me,” Ma said.

“It was a long time I couldn’t play table tennis, which made me realize how much I love this sport,” Ma said. “I told myself that even if I miss the Tokyo Olympics because of an injury, I’ll still come back and keep playing.”

As elsewhere in the world, Ma doubted if he could ever return to his best shape after many injuries. “I realized at the darkest moment of my career that table tennis has become an integral part of my life. It’s settled inside me. I couldn’t love it anymore.”

As a professional athlete, Ma had to win and lose in every game. “The only way to success is the will to win and the hard work. Sports taught us more than just winning and losing. We need to have the courage to start over after a loss and the faith not to give up, even in desperate times,” Ma said.