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Danielle Scott-Arruda of the U.S.
women's volleyball team (R) and Jenny Lang Ping, the head coach, attend a
press conference in Beijing, China, Aug. 5, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
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BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- 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.
"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."