BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Highly accomplished Chinese riflewoman Du Li and her former Olympic champion teammate Chen Ying have been named coaches of the country's national shooting team.
Du, 35, will take charge of the women's rifle team while the 39-year-old Chen will coach the women's pistol team.
"I was struggling a lot before I decided to take the job. It had been like an 80-episode TV series running through my head," said Du who, and Chen, were already assistant coaches before the Rio Olympic Games.
"In the end, I decided to give it a try despite all the huge pressure I will face in the next several years leading to and at the Tokyo Olympics," she added.
Du and Chen will work under expectations for the team to do well in Tokyo in 2020 after the Rio 2016 Olympic where the Chinese shooting team with six Olympic champions brought home one gold medal, two silver and four bronze, an under-par performance considered by domestic shooting fans.
Du was the most accomplished riflewoman in China, a four-time Olympian with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze to her name. Since shooting usually offers the earliest gold medals at the Olympic Games, Du often shouldered the heavy responsibility to clinch the first gold medal for the Chinese delegation.
Chen, also a four-time Olympian, made her name by taking the 25m pistol title in the 2008 Olympics in her hometown Beijing and four years later she bagged a silver in London.
