Table tennis player Ma Long makes history for China at Paris Games with his sixth Olympic gold medal

1 of 8 |

China’s Ma Long, background, and Wang Chuqin celebrate after defeating Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

2 of 8 |

China’s Ma Long, right, and Wang Chuqin celebrate after defeating Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

3 of 8 |

China’s Ma Long, foreground, and Wang Chuqin celebrate after defeating Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

4 of 8 |

China’s Ma Long, with his teammate Wang Chuqin, plays against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

5 of 8 |

China’s Wang Chuqin, left, and Ma Long react after a winning set against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

6 of 8 |

Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson, right, and Anton Kallberg play against China’s Ma Long and Wang Chuqin during the men’s gold medal team table tennis match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

7 of 8 |

8 of 8 |

By TALES AZZONI

PARIS (AP) — Ma Long became the Chinese athlete with the most gold medals in the history of the Olympics when he helped China win the men’s table tennis team final at the Paris Games on Friday.

China defeated Sweden for its fifth straight Olympic victory in the team event, and Ma secured his sixth gold to become the most decorated table tennis Olympian.

The 35-year-old Ma won at least one gold medal in every Summer Games since London in 2012.

“These past 12 years have been a journey filled with ups and downs, and I feel incredibly fortunate. I’ve played many different roles in each Olympics,” he said. “After Tokyo I didn’t expect to be here in Paris, but these three years have helped me grow mentally and technically. This gold medal is a great way to conclude my Olympic journey.”

Ma is the only player with four gold medals in the team event, winning them in Paris, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and London. He won his singles gold medals in Tokyo and Rio. He did not play the singles tournament in Paris.

Ma said he was ending his Olympic career but was not retiring from competition completely.

“You might still see me on the international table tennis stage in the future,” he said.

China, long the dominant force in table tennis, swept the four Olympic gold medals so far in Paris, with the other victories coming in the men’s and women’s singles tournaments and in the mixed doubles event. The women’s team final is Saturday, with China taking on Japan.

Paris Olympics

The Olympics are more than fun and games. They’re a billion-dollar business with political overtones.
Breakdance will make it’s debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.. Here’s what else will be different at this year’s games.
Follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games.

China has won 36 of the 41 gold medals since the sport was added to the Olympic program at Seoul in 1988.

France won the bronze in the men’s team event in a match against Japan. It was France’s first medal ever in the team event.

“It was incredible,” 17-year-old Frenchman Felix Lebrun said. “It was a dream for all three of us to live it together after an incredible match. These were unforgettable emotions, and we will remember this for a long time. It is a magical moment, and we’re delighted to share it with the team and the public.”

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

1 of 7 |

FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

2 of 7 |

FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

3 of 7 |

FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

4 of 7 |

Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

5 of 7 |

USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

6 of 7 |

Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

7 of 7 |

FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)