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Australia’s largest Para-table tennis team in decades has finished its Paris Paralympics campaign with two gold and three bronze medals.
Lina Lei (WS9) and Lin Ma (MS9) were both defeated in their singles semi-finals on the final day of competition in hard-fought contests, earning them bronze medals under the competition format.
Lei – who came into Paris at the top of the World Table Tennis rankings in her class and was looking to defend her Tokyo Paralympics crown – was defeated 3-2 by China’s Guiyan Xiong.
Xiong will play Karolina Pek from Poland in the gold medal match.
Lei’s bronze adds to her already impressive career medal haul, which includes a women’s double (WD20) gold medal won with Qian Yang last week in Paris, a gold and silver won in Tokyo, and five gold and two silver medals won for China before she made the switch to represent Australia after the 2016 Rio Games.
Also on day 10, Lin Ma fell agonisingly short of progressing to the gold medal match when he lost to French opponent, Lucas Didier 3-2 in a battle that was littered with long rallies, big swinging forehands, and a boisterous crowd that was urging a home win.
“It’s tough in the biggest environment,” Australia’s head coach Alois Rosario said. “Lucas played unbelievably today, but Ma is used to big occasions and used to big matches.”
Didier will play Belgian Laurens Devos for the men’s singles (MS9) gold medal.
Like Lei, Ma’s bronze medal is the latest in his long list of Paralympic accomplishments.
It’s the 35-year-old’s fifth games, having won four gold and one silver for China before playing for Australia in Tokyo where he won two silver medals.
The 12-strong Australian team that competed in Paris is the biggest to represent the nation since the 1968 Games in Tel Aviv and is one bigger than Tokyo, which achieved its best result of two gold and four silver medals.
Along with winning the women’s doubles, Yang won gold in the women’s singles (WS10) in Paris, while Sam von Einem got bronze in the men’s singles (MS11).
The 2024 Games result means Australia has won a total of six gold, seven silver and six bronze Paralympic medals in table tennis.
RESULTS – DAY 10
Men’s Singles (MS9) SF: FRA DIDIER Lucas def AUS MA Lin, 10-12, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8
Women’s Singles (MS9) SF: CHN XIONG Guiyan def AUS LEI Lina, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5
By: Laurie Lawira, Paralympics Australia
Published: 7 September 2024
