Ma beats compatriot to retain Olympic table tennis crown

TOKYO, AFP: China’s table tennis king Ma Long on Friday became the first player in Olympic history to win men’s singles gold for a second time.

The 32-year-old captain and talisman of the all-powerful Chinese team defeated younger compatriot Fan Zhendong 4-2 in the final in Tokyo.

The defending champion Ma has now won four golds overall, having also claimed team titles with his country at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Bronze went to Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov after he saved four match points in defeating 19-year-old rising star Lin Yun-ju of Taiwan 4-3.

The men’s and women’s team crowns are still up for grabs in the Japanese capital.