Zhu Ting, captain of the Chinese women's national volleyball team, digs the ball in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup game against Argentina in Japan, September 29, 2019. /VCG
May 4 is China's Youth Day which commemorates the "May 4th Movement" in China in 1919. Ninety-four outstanding individuals and 34 organizations were awarded the May 4th Medals by the country's youth organizations.
Among them is Zhu Ting, China's volleyball ace, captain of the women's national team.
In a social media post, Zhu extended her greetings to China's youth on this special occasion and shared her experience in life and career.
Zhu Ting, captain of the Chinese women's national volleyball team, November 8, 2019. /VCG
"I woke up in the morning and left for training. It's a new day accompanied with new tasks. I will continue to work hard to improve my deficiencies," wrote Zhu.
"Coach Lang Ping used to encourage me with the following words: A small progress a day will make you better and make our team stronger ... Sometimes working hard may exhaust and bore you because you don't see the gains immediately and don't know when you will see them. But what we can do now is to stay focused on what we can control and invest our best efforts in it."
As the best female volleyball player in China who helped the national team win two World Cup titles and one Olympic gold medal, Zhu revealed that she wasn't always a talent, especially at the beginning.
Zhu Ting (L) and her head coach Lang Ping hold the trophy after claiming 11 straight wins at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup game against Argentina in Japan, September 29, 2019. /VCG
"I remember that on my first day in training in college, all the other teammates played volleyball before but not me. I had the least experience. When we were practicing digging, everyone was better than me. Even I could not watch that scene, neither could my coach."
"During practice, my teammates would take a break from time to time because they knew what they were doing. But I didn't think I could afford to do that with the skills I had back then. I kept practicing and only stopped until my coach told me to."
Zhu Ting spikes the ball in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup game against Argentina in Japan, September 29, 2019. /VCG
Zhu believed that there's no shortcut to success and sometimes dull efforts are necessary. For example, she planned to challenge more new things outside volleyball in the future. She knew that it could take long before she gained some progress, but Zhu was convinced that as long as she continues to work hard, she will achieve more success.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo will take place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All volleyball competitions have been canceled too for the same reason. The Chinese women's national volleyball team have been training together for over three months. Despite the long process, it's necessary to help players stay fit before they can take on new contests in tiptop shape.
(CGTN Sports Scene's Bu Yihan contributed to the story.)