BEIJING -- Leading the United States women's volleyball team back to her hometown for the Beijing Games, Chinese coach Jenny Lang Ping felt at home.
"I am under no pressure at all, I just feel at home," said the 47-year-old former Olympic champion at a press conference on Tuesday.
Three years and a half after first taking the helm of the American team, Lang and her fans have become more comfortable with the fact that the volleyball heroine will coach against China at the first Olympic Games to be held on her homeland.
Jenny Lang Ping (R), Chinese coach of the US women's volleyball team, shops in the Pin Trading Center of the Olympic Village August 5 2008. [Xinhua] |
"The Chinese fans have become more considerate, right now there are a lot of foreign coaches with Chinese teams," Lang said. "For me, it's a great honor to coach the American team because the United States is very strong in sports."
"If I can give my knowledge to the team and make it better, it will be a great thing," she added.
Next Friday, the United States will play against defending Olympic champion China in a preliminary group match of the Olympic volleyball tournament which is considered as a contest between Lang Ping and her former assistant Chen Zhonghe.
"I can imagine a full capacity 18,000 fans cheering for China," Lang Ping said. "I just hope that we can entertain the fans with an exciting game."
"As a coach, of course I want my team to take the victory, and I think the team which plays better will win. For myself, I will just concentrate on my coaching and hopefully the players can hear me in the roaring voice of home fans."
Lang Ping, who won the gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games with the Chinese team as a player before leading them to the silver as a coach at the 1996 Atlanta Games, is the only woman volleyball coach at the Beijing Games. She is also joining former Hungary coach Gabriella Kotsis as one of only two women volleyball coaches to lead teams at multiple Olympics.
"It's very special experience for me to coach at two Olympics," Lang said. "I think many of my former teammates have the ability to do that, but I am just lucky."
On her way to a third Olympics in 24 years, Lang enjoyed this Games much better than the previous two.
"I was under great pressure for my last two Games, but this time I feel much better and I really enjoy everyday with the team," she said. "Maybe it's because I have become more mature after 12 years, maybe it's because I have learned how to deal with pressure."
"The Olympics is just a big party and the Olympics is the Olympics of the world. Let's enjoy ourselves."