Career

In 2012, Ma made the podium three times in the Fencing World Cup, including a gold medal in the Prince Takamado World Cup. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Men"s foil, but was defeated in the quarter-finals by of Korea"s Choi Byung-chul, who eventually earned a bronze medal. Ma finished the 2012-2013 season third in world rankings.

He also earned a silver medal in the Löwe von Bonn World Cup and a bronze medal in the Prince Takamado World Cup.

These results pushed him to the first place of the world rankings in May 2014. He was stopped in the quarter-finals at the Asian Championships and came away with no medal.

Ma was defeated in the final by another Russian, Aleksey Cheremisinov, and was doomed to a silver medal. In the team event cruised past Egypt, then defeated the top-ranked United States and Italy.

They were largely overcome by France in the final and came away with the silver.

Achievements

• He won the 2013-2014 Fencing World Cup. In the 2013-2014 season, Ma won the Ciudad de A Coruña World Cup and the Venice Grand Prix. At the World Championships in Kazan he saw off Czechoslovakian Alexander Choupenitch in the quarter-finals, then had a tight 15–15 win over Russia"s Timur Safin.