China's Xu Yunli competes during the women's volleyball preliminary pool B between China and the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 14, 2016. The United States won China with 3:1. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
China's biggest challenge in Tokyo is themselves, says volleyball Olympic champion Xu Yunli.
FUZHOU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Volleyball Olympic champion in Rio 2016, Xu Yunli, who retired in 2018, voiced confidence for her former teammates in a recent interview, saying that the biggest challenge for the Chinese women's team in the postponed Tokyo Olympics is "themselves."
"The postponement of Tokyo Olympics could be a positive thing for all teams since they have a whole extra year to prepare," Xu told Xinhua."I have faith in our Chinese team since many young talents emerge in recent two years, while key players such as Zhu Ting are still in best forms."
"Of course there are no underdogs in the Olympics. Italy, Serbia, Brazil and the U.S. are all strong contenders," noted the former middle blocker. "However, I believe our team has a good chance to win the title if they can do things right."
With three-time Olympic appearances from 2008 to 2016, Xu claimed a bronze medal on home court in Beijing and delivered a strong comeback performance in Rio, contributing the second-most scores for the championship team.
"Because of injuries, I could do nothing but sit on the bench, watching my teammates doing contact drills by March 2016. All of a sudden, I made remarkable progress. I did not know why. I think it's just my hard work paid off," she recalled.
Xu Yunli of China spikes the ball during their competition against New Zealand at the Qualification Tournament for World Volleyball Championships in Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 28, 2013. China won 3-0. (Xinhua/Zhao Zhongzhi)
During their stay in Rio, Xu said the hardest part was that they often missed lunchtime because they spent an hour driving to the training venue and then a lot of time in training and studying the latest match videos of rival teams.
"I think that's the reason why the team could be an inspiration in China for decades. It was not just about winning golds, but more about all the endeavors off the court," she added.
Despite her retirement as a player, Xu stayed in the team as an assistant in the 2018 FIVB World Championships and Tokyo Olympic qualifying matches, using her own experience to help young players develop. "I feel that I have the responsibility to teach the young players all the things that older players taught me when I was young," Xu said.
In addition, the 33-year-old also worked as a volleyball teacher at Fujian Normal University since June 2019. "I really enjoy what I am doing. I want to help more young students who love the sport." ■