Ma Lin turns brutal encounter with a bear into a glorious Paralympic career

Text size

Ma Lin’s dreams of becoming a famous pianist came to an agonizing end when he had to have his right arm amputated after being bitten by a brown bear, but his unwavering determination made him a force to be reckoned with in Paralympic table tennis.

The 34-year-old won four Paralympic gold medals, three team medals and one individual medal, as well as an individual silver medal for China since 2008 in Beijing before moving to Australia in 2017.

After switching sides, he won two silver medals at the Tokyo Games three years ago and made it a full medal haul on Saturday, having to settle for the bronze medal after losing a thrilling five-set match to France’s Lucas Didier at the packed Porte de Versailles arena.

Ma seemed dismayed at the defeat, and he had good reason to be, as he had twice taken the lead only to be cornered by the stubborn Didier.

“It’s tough,” Australia head coach Alois Rosario told AFP, speaking on behalf of Ma because he does not speak English.

“It was a tough game. He was the favorite, so it’s tough in the biggest environment.

“But Lucas played incredibly today.”

Ma was five when he went with a friend to a zoo near his home in China.

“I thought (the bear) was my friend because I went to the zoo every week to feed him,” Ma told Australia’s News Corp in 2021.

“So I just decided to reach out and pet him, but I guess he wasn’t in a good mood that day.”

He put his right hand through the bars of the cage, but the bear bit his arm above the elbow.

“I think I was a little bit in shock. But I didn’t cry. Not once.”

A surgeon saved his life, although his arm had to be amputated. When the boy woke up after the operation, he was only concerned with one question.

“I just wanted to know if I could still find a girlfriend when I’m older,” said Ma, whose hobby is diving.

His parents said, “Of course, that’s why I was happy.”

Thus began his life-changing journey, inspired by China’s overwhelming medal win at the 1996 Olympics. Although he was right-handed, he first had to get used to controlling his left hand.

It turned out to be an excellent decision. His stroke play was a joy to watch and one could admire the effectiveness of his serve against Didier, who can use both hands.

The medals are a testament to Ma’s skills and the bronze medal in Paris will not be the end of his journey – quite the opposite.

“He’s talking about Brisbane 2032, so he still has a long way to go,” Rosario said.

“He’s getting better. He’s improved many areas of his game.”

Rosario says Ma is amazed at how his life has turned out and looks forward to continuing to build on his legendary status and medal collection.

“I mean, he’s still on his journey and I hope he still has a long way to go,” he said.

“But yes, he has already achieved a lot in his life, that is already certain.

“He’s used to the highs and he’s used to the lows, so there’s a lot ahead of him.”

pi/gj