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Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Bear attack survivor Ma Lin wins table tennis silver medal for Australia

Julian LindenNews Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Australian Paralympic table tennis player Ma Lin in action. Sport the library / Greg Smith / PA
Camera IconAustralian Paralympic table tennis player Ma Lin in action. Sport the library / Greg Smith / PA Credit: Supplied

Australia has won a rare silver medal in Paralympic table tennis thanks to a one-armed naturalised Chinese champion who lost his upper limb in bizarre circumstances.

Ma Lin has emerged as one of Australia’s brightest stars in Tokyo because of his brilliant performances with the paddle and his incredible tale of survival that has endeared him to his new homeland.

Virtually unknown in Australian sporting circles despite being one of the best para table tennis players in the world, Ma Lin lost his right arm when he was just five years old when it was bitten off by a brown bear at a zoo in China.

He now calls Australia home and has delivered a medal at his first big international competition after going down to Belgian Laurens Devos in the Class 9 individual men’s final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

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Australian Paralympic table tennis player Ma Lin in action. Sport the library / Greg Smith / PA
Camera IconAustralian Paralympic table tennis player Ma Lin in action. Sport the library / Greg Smith / PA Credit: Supplied

Australia has only ever won two gold medals in Paralympic table tennis – one each in 1964 and 1984 – but still has a great chance with three other Aussies through to gold medal matches in Tokyo.

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When he moved to Australia after the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Ma Lin brought two of his closest Chinese friends – Yang Qian and Lei Lina – who also happen to be international stars of the sport.

Yang Qian takes on Brazil’s Bruna Alexandre in Class 10 on Monday immediately after Lei Lina faces her former Chinese teammate Guiyan Xiong in Category 9.

AUSSIE ALMOST PULLS OFF HUGE UPSET

Australia has won a second silver medal in table tennis at the Tokyo Paralympics after Sam von Einem came agonisingly close to pulling off a massive upset to win the gold.

Squaring off against Hungarian legend Peter Halos in the C11 final, von Einem was given little chance of winning but the South Australian gave the world No.1 the fright of his life before going down 11-9 in the deciding fifth set.

“I just think he was more composed. He’s won it twice before so I think he used those experiences to his advantage,” von Einem said.

“I’m trying to chase my first one. It’s a huge challenge to try and get over the world No.1 in the final.

“I tried, I just got a bit too tight in the end, a few unforced errors, there were a few good balls by him and that’s the difference, that’s sport.”

Samuel von Einem takes home the silver medal ina hard fought match in mens table tennis on day 5 at Riocentro Pavillion 3 / 2016 Paralympic Games - RIO Brazil
Camera IconParalympic able tennis player Samuel Von Einem in action at the Rio Paralympics. Paralympics Australia Credit: Supplied

Von Einem also won the silver at the Rio Paralympics, in 2015, ending Australia’s 32-year medal drought in Paralympic table tennis.

But in Tokyo, the Aussie team is on fire with Ma Lin, the one-armed bear attack survivor, also winning a silver on Saturday and two more Chinese-born Aussies through to finals on Monday.

“Two silvers is amazing and if you told me that I’d get two silvers when I started, I would have taken it with both hands so it’s still a fantastic achievement,” von Eimen said.

“The first silver felt really good. This silver, I thought I could go that one more but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

The decision by Ma Lin, Yang Qian and Lei Lina has not gone down well with their former Chinese teammates competing in Japan.

The three naturalised Aussies have all been heckled by Chinese speaking spectators during their matches, setting the scene for a bitter showdown between Lei Lina and her former teammate Guiyan Xiong on Monday, before Yang Qian takes on Brazil’s Bruna Alexandre.

“It’s fantastic there’s a mixture of countries’ competitive,” von Eimen said.

“No one wants to see one country dominate all the time. It’s good seeing a lot of different flags on the podium. It’s great for the sport.”

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Bear attack survivor Ma Lin wins table tennis silver medal for Australia

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