Sands of time work in Chinese pair's favor
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China Daily, January 12, 2012
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Xue Chen (left) and Zhang Xi of China acknowledge the spectators after beating Kou Nai-han and Chang Hui-min of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou on Nov 21, 2010. The rising pair is looking to better its Beijing Games bronze medal finish in London this year. Goh Chai Hin / Agence France-Presse |
A bronze medal capped a fine Olympic debut in beach volleyball four years ago in Beijing for Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, but with that success has come great expectations for the London Games.
China's leading female beach volleyball pair knows how heavy that burden is, but remains upbeat about delivering an even bigger surprise at this year's Olympics.
"Our goal for the London Games is simple; performing better than (we did) in Beijing and hopefully to finish on top of the podium," Zhang told China Daily recently at a press conference to launch the partnership between the Chinese Volleyball Association and Red Bull.
After claiming a silver medal in Beijing, China's other veteran pair of Tian Jia and Wang Fei retired last year and passed on the country's golden aspirations to Xue and Zhang.
From unseasoned budding players to spearheads of the nation's hopes, Xue and Zhang have had four years to further hone their beach craft.
"At Beijing, we were the underdogs. We played as challengers. So there was no pressure on us," Xue said. "But it's different in London. We know what we are capable of and people already expect much from us. We are indeed working under huge pressure now. But we have to find a balance, not to relax too much nor get too nervous."
"It actually feels great (to be the nation's top pair). We are no longer rookies and could draw a bunch of young followers," Zhang said.
Training in Hainan, China's famous tourism island and beach sports base, the world No 3 pair knows how to handle the pressure.
"Playing between the blue sky and sea is already a way to release the pressure. We like to lie down on the soft sand and free our minds if we feel depressed. And the improvement in our skill level helps a lot. Once we master a new technique, we feel more confident and less pressure," said 22-year-old Xue.
Xue, at 1.9 meters, and the 1.83-meter Zhang form a formidably tall pairing which, along with its superior physical conditioning, dazzled over the past year on the FIVB World Tour.
Taking part in 14 of the year's 15 tournaments, Xue and Zhang claimed three titles which tied them with the two-time Olympic champion pair of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States. Brazil's team of Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta won six events to claim the year-end world No 1 ranking.
"They are more mature and more capable of controlling the game's rhythm now. Their skills are honed and more experience has been gained (since 2008). They are a much better team," said national head coach Miu Zhihong, who has been mentoring the pair since 2006.
"We had a slow start at the beginning of this season. But we made some adjustments and steadily regained our form. We need to maintain the momentum approaching the new season and try to make a quick start," said 26-year-old Zhang.
According to Miu, the pair will start a two-month winter camp in Hainan before flying to the US for warm-up games in March. The team will return to the tour in April for a final stage of preparations for London.
Xue and Zhang had to overcome some "inner troubles" when they were separated and played with unfamiliar partners from their home provinces Fujian and Jiangsu, respectively, at the National Games. That mandatory duty in 2009 apparently harmed their chemistry.
Xue and Zhang's international performances slumped dramatically at the beginning of 2010 after they had played a whole year with local partners the previous year in preparation for the National Games.
However, they have learnt from that experience.
"At the beginning, it did bring some negative effects. It's a big difference to play with them and with her. It took a lot to tune in with new partners and then to regain chemistry after reuniting with her. But in the bigger picture, it helped me to get used to different styles and make myself more versatile," said Xue.
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