Four years ago in Athens, China rallied from two sets down to dismiss Russia and snatch its second Olympic gold medal at women's volleyball.

The match proved one of the most dramatic title games of the last Olympics, with more edge and tension than was seen two decades earlier when the women cruised to their maiden win in Los Angeles.

It also ended Cuba's three-Olympiad winning streak - and put China under nerve-rattling pressure to repeat the feat at home this summer.

But injuries to key players Feng Kun and Zhao Ruirui have since thrown a spanner in the works, while the team's poor show at the 2006 World Championships dealt a blow to its confidence.

This was keenly felt last year when China missed out on its first Asian title in over 20 years.

In a desperate measure to patch the team back together, officials have spirited the women away to Ningbo in Zhejiang province for a month-long boot camp to rediscover the winning formula and avoid disappointing highly expectant home fans.

"In Athens, we were not at our best but we still managed to beat Russia in the final," said head coach Chen Zhonghe. "This time we will (need to) be more competitive as other teams have made much progress over the last year."

Spiker Zhao and setter Feng are clawing their way back to fighting form after protracted recovery time in the US. They showed their hunger to win at February's Cuba-China friendly series by winning all six of their matches.

Chen then ramped up the pressure by pitting them against their male counterparts in March to toughen them up.

"Veterans who have been out for years like Zhao and Feng have built up their confidence," said the coach. "But we still need to improve as a team."

Next month's Swiss International will be a litmus test for the success of the ongoing boot camp, he said. "We will compete (there) as the reigning champions, and, if we can defend the title, it will give our Olympic preparations a shot in the arm."

If the girls were expecting a holiday camp in Ningbo they soon got a reality check. Training started five hours after their arrival and is scheduled for seven hours each day.

"It has to be intense to keep them physically primed," said Chen. "The expectations on us are immense."

Chen will announce his Olympic squad next month, while question marks still linger over the fitness of Feng and Zhao.

"We want them to start training as soon as possible but I'm concerned that such an intense schedule could aggravate their injuries," he said.

Meanwhile, inconsistent play from younger members of the team is proving another headache. "Spikers like Wang Yimei cannot maintain their top level of play, so we need to work on their mindset. We also have to improve the flow of passing and spiking."

For Chen, Russia remains the team to beat this summer after it demonstrated its strength by winning the 2006 worlds and has not dropped a gear since. Brazil finished second, and China seventh.

Italy poses another threat to the Olympic host, as does the US - which is looking to poach some of China's home court advantage courtesy of having wildly popular Chinese coach Lang Ping on board.

(China Daily 05/09/2008 page8)