YOUNGER SQUAD
Apart from the appointment of Lang, the Chinese volleyball association also announced a notably younger squad. Among the 25 volleyballers, nine enter the national team for the first time, indicating the nation's determination to nurture more rising stars.
Lang is known for her boldness to use new faces and a balanced combination of experienced players and green hands.
"How many people knew about Zhu Ting when I put her into the squad four years ago?" said Lang.
"Zhu has the gift, but was not strong enough at that time. I myself was not strong enough when I was young," she said. "But if you don't try them, you will never know. Maybe we can surprise everyone."
Thanks to Lang, Zhu grew quickly into a versatile spiker. The 22-year-old was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2015 FIVB World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics, and is playing at Vakifbank volleyball team at Turkish Women Volleyball League.
Lang said that as some veterans fade out, she is looking for new players and the whole team will start a new journey from square one.
Yang Hanyu, 18-year-old blocker, set the record for being the youngest player of the Chinese national women's volleyball team.
Yang feels very lucky to make into the national team at such an age.
"I'm like a piece of paper in the national team. I will grasp the opportunity to study everything from the beginning," she added.
Committing to China for four more years, Lang said she is ready to start over again.
"There's a saying that goes among the sportsmen, one should start from scratch the moment he or she steps off the podium," Lang said. "It's seven months ago since China won the gold medal in Rio. The world title has already been the past. We must prepare ourselves for all the challenges in Tokyo."
