China's women's volleyball team is counting on teen spiker Wang Yimei to play a crucial role in the defense of its Olympic gold medal in two months.
Although Athens Olympics stars Feng Kun and Zhou Suhong are still going strong, China will be relying on its youngsters to add that extra gusto against increasingly tough opponents.
Twenty-year-old Wang is expected to prove herself as China's top spiker at the Aug 8-24 Beijing Games as she develops her array of talents and aerial blitzes from above the net.
One of the best players at last week's Swiss Volleyball Masters, she scored 61 of her 70 points from spikes and led China to second place while claiming the honor of tournament top scorer.
After barely three years in the national team under head coach Chen Zhonghe, Wang has transformed herself from minnow to shark in the world of top-class volleyball.
"Wang has showed remarkable progress in the past two years," said Chen.
"She is getting more mature and mentally strong all the time. There was a point when I wondered whether she could hack it as our main spiker, but she has shown us at many international tournaments that she has what it takes to stop the world's best blockers, and I think there's more left in the tank for the Beijing Games."
At 190 cm and 90 kg, Wang towers over much of the national team but is still capable of flying around the court and rifling off lethal serves almost at will.
"She is a talented player. She has such a good physical condition and a good understanding of the sport. She is still young and I hope she will help keep the national team among the world's best in the future," added the coach.
Wang says she is having to work harder to help the team defend its gold medal after Olympic-winning veterans Wang Lina and Zhang Yuehong both retired.
"Compared to them, I still have a lot to learn," Wang said. "I know people are expecting me to score more points with strong spikes and I know they like me to score in such a spectacular way. I am always working hard to polish my skill above the net and I hope I will not let them down in Beijing."
Chen said she has now found her rhythm.
"She always finds a way to score and nobody can stop her," he said, reflecting on her role in China's 6-0 rout of Cuba in a warm-up series in March.
"It is fair to say that she can now be called one of the most powerful spikers in the world".
The team has struggled since Athens through a rocky period of transition. Even Wang has endured her fair share of trials and tribulations, and she will only perform to expectations in Beijing if she can win a psychological battle against herself, said Chen.
"She is still not consistent in big competitions, where she tends to respond badly to pressure.
"She still has a way to go before she can become a superstar. In the meantime, we will do our best to help her and I hope the Olympic Games will be a platform for her to excel."
(China Daily June 16, 2008)