This Day, That Year

Item from Sept 27, 1982, in China Daily: The victorious Chinese women’s volleyball team receives World Championship medals in Lima, Peru, yesterday (right).

China triumphed in the championship for the first time with a magnificent 3-0 victory over the host nation. …

China’s women’s volleyball team won five world titles in a row in the 1980s, cheering up the nation so much that the “spirit of women’s volleyball team” has since become a phrase in Chinese.

At the just-concluded Rio Olympics, China won the title for the third time, defeating Serbia 3-1 in the final, and defending champion and host Brazil in the quarterfinal.

Around the country, people were glued to their TV screens, with China Central Television’s sports channel, CCTV-5, receiving its highest-ever ratings.

“The spirit of Chinese women’s volleyball team is to never give up. My duty as the coach is to guide this young team to carry on this spirit,” Lang Ping, the head coach of China, said after the match.

The first time the team won an Olympic gold medal was at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 when China beat the United States in the final. Lang was then the spiker of the team.

The second time was in Athens 12 years ago, when China overcame a 0-2 deficit to beat Russia in the final.

Lang, better known as “Jenny” in the West, also led the US women’s national team to the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.