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By Sportswriters Liu Jinhui and Spencer Musick
ZHENGZHOU, China, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The unswerving spirit that the Chinese women's volleyball team demonstrated to the world at the Rio Olympics is still strong in the hearts of Chinese people.
A soon-to-be-published photo album named "A Thorny Road," reviewing the girls' most spectacular moments in Rio, is almost sold out in its preorder phase.
"It's more difficult to get a photo album than to buy a train ticket ahead of the Spring Festival," said one netizen.
"I am so excited when I see these photos every time. Zhu Ting's confident face, Hui Ruoqi's shout, coach Lang Ping's calmness and the tears moved me and inspired me to work hard," said another.
"A Thorny Road" shares some of the lesser-known stories of the Chinese women's volleyball team on the way to their Olympic gold medal. They defeated Serbia in the final match 3-1 on August 20.
China's girls were assigned to the so-called 'group of death' in Rio. They managed to stumble into the quarterfinals at only No. 4, with just two victories in the group matches.
But the girls fought back, determined to never give up. After an epic comeback against defending champions Brazil in the quarterfinals, and a triumph against the Netherlands in the semis, they made their way to the final and rewrote history.
The Chinese women's volleyball team are now regarded as national heroes, proudly carrying forward the flag of China's Olympic glory that began some 30 years ago.
China won its first Olympic gold medal in volleyball in Los Angeles in 1984, and its second in Athens in 2004. They also won a silver medal in Atlanta in 1996 and two bronze medals, one in Seoul in 1988 and the other in Beijing in 2008.
"Sport has the power to change the world," said Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa. The accomplishments of the Chinese women's volleyball team have certainly inspired millions in the world's most populous country, and set an example for women's sports worldwide.
Zhu Anliang, father of China's star spiker Zhu Ting who was named MVP in Rio, said that he chose volleyball for his daughter after seeing it played on television.
"Her teacher told me that Zhu Ting was suitable to play volleyball or basketball, because she was very tall, more than 1.7 meters when she was 13," Zhu said.
"I liked watching volleyball matches on TV, and I knew that Chinese women's volleyball is very strong worldwide, so I allowed her to play volleyball," he explained.
Currently, Zhu Ting is one of the best spikers in the world. She is now playing in Turkey, where many famous volleyball players often find a home. These include Milena Rasic of Serbia and Kim Yeon-koung of South Korea.
"In my opinion, the phrases 'never give up' and 'play as one' exemplify the spirit of Chinese women's volleyball team," said coach Lang Ping. Lang also won a gold medal in Los Angeles in 1984 as a member of the national team, becoming the first person in any sport to win gold both as a coach and as a player.
"We are a team, we never gave up and united as one to overcome difficulties. I believe this spirit can shine through in all walks of life," Lang said.
Chen Zhonghe, former coach of Chinese women's volleyball team who won the Olympic gold medal at Athens 2004, said that the Chinese women's volleyball team won by not only through its spirit, but also through grit and hard training.
He adds that, if training and skill are well-matched between the two sides, the kind of spirit that China's girls demonstrated will always win the day.
"But when the two teams are at the same level, spirit is more important," Chen noted.
