CHINA’S volleyball legend Lang Ping was appointed as chief coach of the Chinese national team Wednesday.

    The Chinese Volleyball Association confirmed the appointment in an official statement, saying that the chief coach is a new position designed for Lang Ping who has been plagued by injuries for years.

    Lang will focus on making plans for the team, which aims to repeat glory in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

    An Jiajie, Lang Ping’s assistant coach at the Rio Olympics, was named by the association as executive coach, also a new position designed for routine coaching work in a bid to reduce the burden of the chief coach.

    Lai Yawen, former captain of the Chinese team at Atlanta 1996 and the team leader at Rio 2016, continues to be the team leader, according to the association.

    The famous coaching troika for the Chinese women’s volleyball will continue working together until Tokyo 2020.

    Lang said that as some veterans fade out, she is looking for new talents and the whole team will start a new journey from zero point.

    “As chief coach, I will focus on the team navigation and fostering young coaches,” Lang said.

    Lang, who underwent surgery in January this year, said: “With the active rehabilitative training, I hope to recover completely as soon as possible.”

    On Aug. 21, 2016, Lang guided the Chinese national team to the gold medal at 2016 Rio Olympics. With this victory, she became the first person in volleyball history, male or female, to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games as a player (in 1984 Los Angeles ) and as a head coach.

    Lang also became the first person to win gold as both a player and a coach in Olympic Games and World Cup.

    She was a member of the team that won World Championship crown in 1982 in Peru and World Cup titles in 1981 and 1985.

    Owing to her central role in the success of the Chinese women’s volleyball team, Lang is seen as a cultural icon and is one of the most respected people in modern Chinese sports history.

    (SD-Xinhua)