¡¡BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- A poll conducted by a popular
Chinese portal Wednesday suggested that most Chinese net users considered
volleyball big Lang Ping's coaching results of the U.S. women's team a success.
Lang, or Jenny as her American colleagues called her,
has chosen not to extend her contract as the head coach of the American team for
the upcoming Olympic quadrennial, USA Volleyball announced today in the United
States on its website.
Lang cited the desire for a coaching position that
offers more flexibility to spend time with her family as a major factor in her
decision.
"At this moment in my life, family comes first and I
wish more flexibility to spend time with them," Lang said on her decision to
leave USA Volleyball. "I prefer a club volleyball season that lasts five months
so that I can spend the other seven months of the year with them.
Hours after the Chinese version for the story posted
in Sina.com, one of the largest portals in China, over 1,200 net users took part
in a poll soliciting opinions on Lang's decision.
Over 90 percent of the net users considered Lang had
done a "very good" job during her four-year tenure while just seven percent were
thinking "so so" about her achievement.
Lang compiled a 90-49 record and led the American
team to its first Olympic Games medal since 1992 with the aforementioned silver
in Beijing.
The silver medal for the United States from Beijing
Games matched its previous best finish from the 1984 Olympic Games, its only
other Olympic Games reaching the gold-medal match.
Seven hundred and twenty eight people or 60 percent
poll takers agreed that Lang "needs to be with her family for more time" while16
percent were surprised at her departure. But 42 percent of the total thought it
was "zero possibility" for Lang to come back to coach the Chinese team.
Turning 48 next month, Lang was adored by millions of
Chinese fans both as a player and a coach.
As a player, the star outside hitter anchored in
China's major breakthrough in the volleyball world in the eighties last century
as she led the team to the 1984 Olympic gold medal, one world championship and
two world cup victories.
She started to coach the Chinese women's team in 1995
and led them to a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before she took over
the U.S. team in 2005.