Top ten Olympics table tennis players of all time

Michael Maze

Country: DenmarkHighest level of competition: Olympics (2004)

One of the most formidable all-rounders in table tennis, Danish paddler Michael Maze is a left-handed enigma who has flummoxed many an opponent with his powerful defensive lobbing. Considered a rare left-handed talent, Maze’s career kickstarted when he won both the singles and the doubles at the European Juniors Championships in 1999.

Beaten in the 2012 London Olympics’ men’s singles quarters by Dmitrij Ovtcharov, Maze is still a more iconic player than Ovtcharov, simply because of the possibilities he has unfurled in the game, through his stint in it.

Standing as far as possible from the TT table, Maze was a picture of flamboyance and focus – the kind the game had not seen before. The 34-year-old announced his retirement earlier this year.