| Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, November 18, 2001 |
China Volleyballers Credited with First WGCC Title |
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China put up the creditfrom the first trophy for the newbie national team in the World Grand Champions Cup 2001 after Saturday's 3-0 win over South Korea in Fukuoka.
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China put up the creditfrom the first trophy for the newbie national team in the World Grand Champions Cup 2001 after Saturday's 3-0 win over South Korea in Fukuoka.
It is China's first title for 15 years in the world major volleyball competitions, like the World Championships, the World Cup, the Olympics and the WGCC, since it won the World Championships in 1986.
Saturday's win is also the four consecutive in the tournament for the young Chinese spikers, most of whom were recruited in the squad for the first time in April, after they disposed off reigning champion Russia and World Grand Prix champion the U.S..
Oriented by Zhao Ruirui and Yang Hao, one of the most awesome attacking duos in the world, the Chinese team is boosting with theyoungest but one of the most promising squads to resurrect the glory of one and a half decade ago. China was the queen of the world volleyball in the 1980s' when the famed spiker Lang Ping led it to two consecutive titles in theWorld Cup and World Championships each, and one Olympics gold during a span from 1981-1986.
But the Asian powerhouse plummeted to the ground after then in the world level competitions when Cuba and Russia usurped the crowns in the last 1980s' and in the 1990s'. Victory in the WGCC is the best results after China won the silver medal in the World Championships in 1998, but head coach Chen Zhonghe cited as the first step of a long journey.
"It's just a WGCC title, and we are not the world champions yet.I cannot say we will win the world championship next year now, butI'm more confident with the team," he said.
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