Ma makes history, China wins 4th straight Olympic table tennis men's team title

Ma Long (R)/Xu Xin of China celebrate during the table tennis men's team gold medal match against Germany at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

China wins 4th straight Olympic table tennis men's team title as Ma Long becomes the first table tennis player to win five Olympic gold medals.

TOKYO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's men's table tennis team won the Olympic gold medal for the fourth time in a row after sweeping Germany in Friday's final at Tokyo 2020, with captain Ma Long becoming the first table tennis player to win five Olympic gold medals.

Their female counterparts also claimed the fourth straight title on Thursday, making China the only winner in the team event since it debuted at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Ma, the winner in the singles event in Tokyo, paired with Xu Xin to dispatch the German duo of Patrick Franziska and Timo Boll 11-7, 11-3, 11-9.

Ma Long (R)/Xu Xin of China compete during the table tennis men's team gold medal match against Germany at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

World No. 1 Fan Zhendong met great resistance from Dimitrij Ovtcharov, even trailing 1-2 after three sets, but he prevailed with a 3-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3 victory.

Stepping on the court again, Ma took the first two sets 11-5, 11-9. Despite missing several match points and losing the third set 13-11, the Grand Slam winner wrapped up his victory 11-7 in the fourth set to secure China's victory.

Ma was also part of China's victorious team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, thus becoming the first athlete to win three Olympic gold medals in table tennis.

China's Ma Long waves to audience at the awarding ceremony of the men's singles table tennis final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 11, 2016. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang)

Xu also won gold in this event in 2016, joining compatriots Ma, Wang Hao (2) and Zhang Jike (2) as only athletes to win multiple Olympic golds in the men's team event.

Germany took the men's team silver medal, following their silver in 2008 and bronze in 2012 and 2016.

China finished the Tokyo 2020 table tennis campaign with four gold medals, only missing out on the mixed doubles, where Xu and Liu Shiwen fell to local pair Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in the final.

Hosts Japan settled for a bronze in the men's team event after beating South Korea 3-1 earlier on Friday.