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China Leap onto World Hockey Map
From a hockey nobody to a surprising fifth place in the Sydney Olympics and then the title of the South Korean Invitational featuring six top world nations, the Chinese woman's hockey team have brilliantly jumped forward in less than half a year, showing they are on the right track to becoming a top hockey nation.
During the annual invitational which concluded in South Korea on Wednesday, the Chinese dealt with world and Olympic champions Australia, and world runners-up and hosts South Korea, winning the competition with an unbeaten record.
And there is one man behind China's big leap forward - South Korean Kim Chang-bai who was named as Chinese head coach before the Sydney Olympics.
"He is the key to why we have improved so fast," said team leader Lu Zhihua.
Since he was appointed to the post in 1999, the hockey guru has turned around the team which suffered from shrinking participants and public support with his perfect understanding of the sport plus a military-like training programme.
Kim's efforts soon reaped reward. Under his coaching, the Chinese entered their first Olympic hockey competition with a last-minute berth after two previous failed attempts.
And his most heroic deed came at the Sydney Olympics when the Chinese stunned the sport by overturning highly ranked Netherlands and Germany en route to a fifth position, their best ever international performance.
And this time in South Korea, they staged some dominant play by beating the US 4-2, routing South Korea 6-1, holding Australia and Japan to 1-1 before reaching the final. They held hosts South Korea 0-0 in normal time and won with a golden goal.
Their record in the tournament suggests the team are approaching the top echelon of the sport.
With the triumph, the team pocketed a prize of US$15,000, thought to be the largest check they have ever had from a competition.
However, it will take time for the Chinese to accept Kim, who once served as the head coach of the noted South Korean national team.
Arguments have centred on his style of training.
"To be frank, I really doubt if his method would work at the very beginning, but he just kept on. One time I was too tired to go upstairs after training and once I even wanted to beat him," team veteran Yang Hongbin, a mother and the oldest member of the team once said.
"But eventually, you see he is right."
But the strict South Korean still thinks the team need to do more. "They definitely need lots of work. I find some of them do not have smooth control over the ball. That will be a big problem in heated competition," he said.
Despite his dissatisfaction towards the team, Kim has been impressed by his Chinese apprentices.
"They are really hard-working. Every achievement for them does not come easily," he said.
"We are trying to work everything better," said Kim who has set his eye on the Asian Games next year.
After more than 12-months' work in China, Kim is planning a longer stay.
"I have a lower income here than when I was at home, but it's OK and I can accept it because I feel I am happy to work here," said Kim.
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