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Head Coach Wu Sheng Sets Goals for China’s Men’s Volleyball Team with his 28 athletes’ list!
Opposites: Guanhua Zhang, Zihua Wen, Chuan Jiang
Middle Blockers: Dongchen Wang, Yongzhen Li, Zhejia Zhang, Shikun Peng, Zhengyang Jiang, Shuhan Rao, Ruantong Miao, Tiancheng Lu, Xinyu Zhang
Setters: Hebin Wang, Yaochen Yu, Cheng Guo, Meng Liu, Zhihao Liu, Leiyang Chen
Liberos: Yiming Yang, Jiajie Chen, Zongshuai Qu
Outside hitters: Xinpeng Deng, Xilong Chen, Bin Wang, Jingyin Zhang, Dejun Zhai, Yuantai Yu, Lei Li
A look back on the past:
Team China’s adventure begins in 2021, when the team had to sit out the VNL due to the logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It must have been a challenging period, but the Chinese lions didn’t lose their spirit.
The team’s resolve was strengthened by a significant achievement in 2021 – winning bronze in the 21st Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship in Japan! This achievement was a testament to their potential and served as a motivation for their Olympic dreams.
Fast forward to 2022, and the team came roaring back to the VNL! The comeback was announced in April 2022, with the competition set to kick off in June. The excitement in the air was palpable, with the team geared up and ready to hit the court. And, boy, they did. Beating Brazil in the first week of the tournament in their own capital city.
In the heat of the VNL, the Chinese team faced a tough journey. Despite finishing in the bottom half of the preliminary phase, their spirit remained unbroken. Coach Wu Sheng acknowledged the experience had “raised the players’ confidence.” This return to the VNL wasn’t just about competition; it was also about earning crucial ranking points for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. “Our only chance to qualify for Paris 2024 is to earn as many ranking points as possible in the next couple of events,” China’s head coach Wu Sheng revealed.
As of now, we eagerly await the next chapter of the China men’s national volleyball team’s journey. Will they qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? Will they conquer the World Championships? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – they’ve got the spirit, the determination, and the skills to make their mark.
Players to look out for:
Meet the shining star of China’s men’s national volleyball team, Zhang Jingyin! Born on December 20, 1999 in Jiangsu, Zhang’s remarkable journey in the past several years has been nothing short of spectacular. Known as “Little Sun”, he shone bright in the 2022 Men’s Volleyball Asian Cup, where his explosive performance led China to victory and earned him the MVP award. Not stopping there, Zhang took his talents overseas, joining Poland’s Trefl Gdansk in 2023. From Asia to Europe, Zhang Jingyin continues to make waves in international volleyball!
Step onto the volleyball court and meet Li Yongzhen, a rising star in the Chinese men’s national volleyball team. Born on August 7, 1998, Li currently plays as a middle-blocker for the Zhejiang team in China. The highlight of his illustrious career thus far is undoubtedly his performance in the 2021 Men’s Volleyball Asian Championships. Here, he helped China secure a bronze medal and a subsequent leap to 22nd in the international ranking.
Yu Yuantai, standing at only 1.83 meters tall in a team with an average height of 1.98 meters, Yuantai is a force to be reckoned with. His agility and tenacity on the court are renowned, often seen chasing off the court to save the ball. His crowning achievement came in the Asian Cup final, where his potent jump serve overwhelmed the Japanese men’s team, proving his indispensable role in the Chinese team. Yuantai is indeed a “special case” in the world of volleyball.
