Ma Lin has only his left arm after his right arm was amputated when he was five following a terrible accident at a zoo involving a bear. He started playing table tennis competitively about 10 years later and within three years of that, had become the gold medallist in singles and teams at the World Para Championships. Success continued at the 2008 Games in Beijing and far beyond.

Ma moved to Melbourne after the Rio Games, and registered with Table Tennis Australia. He played for Australia for the first time during the 2019 ITTF World Tour.

Donning the green and gold for the first time at a Paralympics at Tokyo 2020, Ma claimed the silver in the men’s single C9 final. 31-year-old Ma was defeated 3-1 in the final by world number one and defending Paralympic champion Laurens Devos (BEL). The medal was his second silver medal, adding to his …

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Date of birth
25 December 1989
Sport
Para-table tennis
Past Paralympic Games

Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020

Impairment
Physical Impairment – Limb deficiency
How acquired
Bitten by a bear when aged 5 (upper limb deficiency)
Residence
RIngwood, VIC
Occupation
Athlete
Started competing
2003
First competed for Australia
2019
Sport career highlights

Winning several Paralympic and World titles.

Greatest sporting moments

Becoming part of the Australian team.

Heroes/role models

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Favourite quote
If you think you can then you can.

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-table tennis Classification: Class 9

Social Media

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