We have to fight hard for Olympic title, says China women's volleyball coach

TOKYO - For Jenny Lang Ping, head coach of defending champion Chinese women's volleyball, her team had to leave the "golden" past at the 2016 Rio Games behind and restart a journey in Tokyo to win the title.

"We are not going to defend the title, we are here to fight hard for the title," she said after the team's first training session in Tokyo Tuesday morning.

"Things have changed a lot since the 2016 Rio Games and our opponents have improved a lot. We can take nothing for granted," she added.

Having won gold at the World Cup in 2019 and bronze at the World Championships in 2018, China was considered among the title favorites before the start of the Tokyo Games. But Lang Ping reminded her spikers to get ready for a tough battle.

"All the teams are going to do their best at the Olympic Games, we have to be fully prepared for all kinds of difficulties," said Lang.

Bracketed with Turkey, the United States, Russia, Italy and Argentina in Preliminary Pool B, China will start their Olympic campaign on Sunday, with the top four finishers from each group qualifying for the quarterfinals.