China News Service, October 26. The International Olympic Committee website recently released an exclusive interview with Ma Long, the captain of the Chinese table tennis team.
In the past ten years, 5 Olympic gold medals, 13 world championships, and gold slams have made Ma Long always among the top players in the world and become one of the business cards of contemporary Chinese table tennis.
Screenshot of the official website of the International Olympic Committee
"The Olympic Games are the biggest dream of an athlete's life." Ma Long believes that the attractive charm of the Olympic Games makes him irresistible. "Whether you know this sport or not, when you see someone competing on behalf of your country, you will watch it. Go cheer and pay attention to this sport. The Olympic Games have made more people know me, won the championship, made more people like me, and made many people like table tennis, all through the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are for table tennis. , is the biggest stage."
Looking back at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics, Malone thinks his mentality is very different.
The London Olympics made his dream of being an Olympic champion a reality, and he was excited; the Rio Olympics achieved a grand slam, and he got what he wanted; the successful defending of the Olympic men's singles championship at the Tokyo Olympics made the overworked and injured man suffer from illness. Malone lived up to the expectations of himself and his fans.
In October 2022, Ma Long led the Chinese men's table tennis team to achieve ten consecutive championships in the Chengdu World Championships as the captain, and won the Sweislin Cup for the 22nd time.
In the eighth time he participated in the World Table Tennis Championships team competition, Ma Long won 7 of 7 games, and he is still the "Dinghaishenzhen" of the Chinese team. Therefore, the outside world is also full of expectations for his performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the future.
On October 9, Chengdu, Sichuan, the 56th ITTF World Table Tennis Team Championships (finals) in 2022, Chengdu ushered in the tenth match day.
The Chinese men's team beat Germany 3-0 to win the championship.
The picture shows Chinese men's table tennis player Ma Long in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
However, looking forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Malone admitted: "I'm not sure now if people will see me at the Paris Olympics".
However, he said that before the day he said he retired, he would always stick to the Olympic road, "Even if it is difficult, or you are not sure whether you will be able to get there. But one day, you must be serious and responsible. The right table tennis, the right country, and the right self.”
Finally, the "veteran" who just turned 34 shared his love for table tennis.
"I think I really belong in table tennis," Malone said. "In fact, I don't care much about personal honors, but more about how to improve my skills and tactics and stay healthy. As for titles and records, that's what others talk about. , I am more concerned about how to improve myself and stay in the best shape." (End)