China’s Ma Long hints National Games will be swansong, denies he is table tennis ‘GOAT’
One of three Chinese players to withdraw from World Table Tennis rankings, Ma says he would ‘fight for Beijing without hesitation’ at Games
Table tennis superstar Ma Long has hinted this year’s National Games of China could be the last major competition of his career.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist was one of the three Chinese players, alongside Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, to withdraw from the World Table Tennis (WTT) rankings late last month.
Veteran Ma, considered by many to be the “GOAT” (Greatest of all Time), was reportedly the first among the trio to pull out, despite not announcing it on social media like his compatriots.
But the National Games in November remains on Ma’s radar, setting up the prospect of a grand farewell, playing for the Beijing team. The Games are to be hosted jointly by Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province.
Given the concentration of table tennis talent in China, competition for medals at the Games is even fiercer than that at the Olympics, which tends to limit entries to two players per country or region. As such, winning at the domestic Games is regarded as one of the pinnacles in a career.
In his previous appearances at China’s multisport Games, Ma has collected four gold, three silver and four bronze medals in total from singles, doubles, mixed doubles and team events.
