Latest news with #GongXiangyu
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
New-look China women open Volleyball Nations League campaign in Beijing
China's women begin their road to volleyball redemption at home to Belgium on Wednesday, as the 2025 Nations League gets under way in Beijing. Advertisement Still smarting from a poor performance at the Paris Olympics, where they lost in the quarter-finals to Turkey, China have since overhauled an ageing squad and installed Zhao Young as head coach. More than half of the 18-strong squad will be making their international debuts this week, and at a pre-tournament press conference, Zhao said starting in from their own fans at the National Indoor Stadium brought both 'pressure and motivation'. 'But the motivation is greater. It has been years since a major international tournament was held in Beijing, and for this new generation of players, it is more of an encouragement,' said the 49-year-old, who took over from Cai Bin last month. 'All the athletes have shown great commitment and a strong desire to bring honour to the country and the team,' Zhao said. 'We hope to grow and improve through tough competition.' Advertisement Team captain Gong Xiangyu is among those in the squad who have tasted success, winning Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the FIVB World Cup in 2019.
South China Morning Post
29-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
China women's volleyball coach Zhao says ‘hard work' can take team back to top
The new head coach of China's women's volleyball team has said his players are ready to embrace hard work as they look to re-establish themselves on the world stage. Advertisement Zhao Yong, who took the helm earlier this month, said success was not 'forged by trophies alone' but also involved overcoming adversity. China's women, who have won a combined 10 titles at Olympics, World Cups and World Championships, finished a disappointing ninth at the Tokyo Olympics before ending up fifth in Paris last year. 'We are expected to meet more challenges and difficulties, but we believe we will achieve what we want to by hard work on a daily basis,' Zhao said at an opening training session on Monday. In the quest for a medal at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, the squad has undergone a major overhaul. Veterans (from left) Li Yingying, Gong Xiangyu and Wang Mengjie are still in the China squad. Photo: Xinhua Only a few veterans, including 2019 World Cup winners Gong Xiangyu, Li Yingying, Wang Yuanyuan and Wang Mengjie, have stayed on the roster, which features several members of the teams that won last year's Under-17 World Championships and Under-18 Asian Championships.
