By CGTN's Mu Dan
Seven months after China won the gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the country’s Volleyball Association has announced the members of the new women's team, and its training schedule for this year.
Head coach Lang Ping said she would step down from her position while recovering from hip surgery, but will now take up a special executive coaching role. Her former assistant, An Jiajie, will handle matters on the court.
Lang Ping with China’s national women's team at the 2016 Rio Olympics /CFP Photo
The 56-year-old Lang underwent surgery in the US two months ago, and has been recovering well. Her new role marks the first time China has created this kind of position, and comes in consideration of the fact that the “Iron Hammer” has to undergo another hip operation in the near future, and will need more time to recover. Lang's duties will include drawing up training plans, as well as supervising practices and matches from off the court.
Team China pose on the podium after the women's volleyball gold medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics/CFP Photo
Twenty-five players have been chosen for training, nine of them new to the national team. Three Olympic champions, Wei Qiuyue, Yan Ni, and former captain Hui Ruoqi, are not on the list of players who will start preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Some of the newcomers have sparked debate, as five members of the roster who come from An’s Shandong team did not perform well in the China Volleyball League last season. The squad had the 10th-best record (or 3rd-worst) among the CVL’s 12 sides. But several new players earned their spots based on solid performances this past season, including Zhejiang’s Li Jing, who was selected after being league’s top scorer with 590 points.
