China's most decorated Olympian Ma reflects on his "perfect" Paris 2024 campaign

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- As China's most decorated Olympian with six gold medals, table tennis icon Ma Long has rated his Paris Olympic Games campaign a perfect 100 out of 100.

"I think it's a perfect one," said Ma, who has captured 31 world titles in his illustrious career, in a recent interview.

The 35-year-old "Captain Long" added that being a flagbearer of the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony and winning the team gold were his most memorable moments at Paris 2024.

In addition to his six Olympic gold medals, Ma has achieved a career Grand Slam of the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup - twice. He has been hailed as the greatest paddler of all time.

"With six gold medals from four Olympics, I feel I'm quite lucky, as they have not been won only through my own efforts," he noted.

As for the ingredients of his perennial success, Ma said, "Hard work and talent account for 45 percent each, and luck takes up the remaining 10 percent."

"I'm a lucky person. Whether it's my surgery or rehabilitation, the process has been smooth. Even if you feel quite painful at a certain stage of the uphill, when you achieve success, you will find that it's worth the effort."

"If you want to be a better you, the simplest thing is to work hard. Work hard, and when your efforts pay off, you are the lucky one," he remarked.

"If you engage in a sport that you love, you will have limitless motivation. As I keep playing table tennis, I hope to improve myself as well. In competitive sports, if you don't progress, you will go backward," the veteran added.

Ma revealed that he hasn't yet decided on his future plans, though he acknowledged that he is at an important moment of considering his next steps.

"As for which path to take, I hope that I can contemplate it calmly," he said.