China's women's volleyball team celebrate after winning the Olympic qualifier in Beilun, east China's Zhejiang Province, August 4, 2019. /CFP
China's women's volleyball team announced the 12-player roster for the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, seven of whom were seen at the top of the podium in Rio five years ago, including super spikers Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning.
Among the five new names, the most notable is Li Yingying. The 21-year-old is widely considered the leading new force for Chinese women's volleyball, as she clinched the MVP award in the 2017-2018 China Volleyball League when she was only 18 years old.
Former captains Hui Ruoqi and Wei Qiuyue retired after Rio. Since then, Zhu Ting took over the torch and has been the captain since, Wei being replaced by Yao Di who is also a veteran in the setter's position.
Li Yingying celebrates with a teammate during the China Volleyball League in Jiangmen, south China's Guangdong Province, December 18, 2020. /CFP
Zhu Ting played overseas with the VakifBank Sports Club after Rio for three seasons, during which she won the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Champion, the 2018 Women's CEV Champions League under the guidance of Giovanni Guidetti.
Guidetti led the Netherlands in Rio to the fourth place, losing to China 1-3 in the semi-final.
This time, in Tokyo, Guidetti will be the manager of Turkey, who China will face in the opening match for both sides on July 25.
Zhu Ting in action during the Olympic test match in Tokyo, Japan, May 1, 2021. /CFP
Zhu announced her return to home soil in 2019 in the hope of preparing for the Games originally due to happen in 2020.
With the delay to the Tokyo Olympics, Zhu continued to shine in domestic competitions, winning back-to-back seasons of the China Volleyball League at the Tianjin women's volleyball team.
Lang Ping in action during the Olympic test match in Tokyo, Japan, May 1, 2021. /CFP
Legendary coach, Lang Ping, also known to the Chinese people as the "iron hammer" from her days as a player, announced before that she would retire after the Tokyo Games.
When asked about the roster for Tokyo by CMG, Lang said the list wasn't decided until the night before the announcement based on statistics of their recent performances, especially in the recent Volleyball Nations League.
She said that even though the list allows only 12 names, the 12 represent the entire Chinese women's volleyball team. As a unified force, they will do their best to win in Tokyo.