Ma Long won the Olympic men’s singles table tennis title at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
The Chinese star defeated compatriot Zhang Jike 4–0 in the final. The victory completed Ma Long’s set of major individual titles at that time, including the World Cup and World Championships, and established him as one of the sport’s most accomplished players.
Ma had already won Olympic team gold at the 2012 London Games, but Rio was his first Olympic singles title. He successfully defended that singles crown at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, becoming the first man to win Olympic table tennis singles gold twice.
A common mix-up is to identify Zhang Jike as the 2016 champion. Zhang was the defending Olympic champion from London 2012 and reached the Rio final, but Ma won the match without dropping a game.