China is expected to make a run for another Olympic gold in women's volleyball in Paris 2024.
China has officially announced its women's national team roster less than a month before the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The 13-player squad features five Olympic champions from the Rio 2016 Games, including 29-year-old star outside hitter Zhu Ting, who recently rejoined the national team and played in six matches during the VNL 2024.
Zhu, a Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist and MVP, last played for China at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 before undergoing wrist surgery.
Following her recovery, Zhu resumed playing top-level club volleyball for Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci in 2022 and did not rejoin the national team until the build-up for Paris 2024.
The Chinese squad also includes 34-year-old setter Ding Xia, 28-year-old outside hitter Zhang Changning, 27-year-old opposite hitter Gong Xiangyu, and 27-year-old middle blocker Yuan Xinyue, all aiming for another gold in Paris.
The roster also includes three players from the Tokyo 2020 team: outside hitter Li Yingying, middle blocker Wang Yuanyuan, and libero Wang Mengjie.
The three-time Olympic champions secured their spot in Paris 2024 as the highest-ranked Asian (AVC) team in the FIVB World Ranking.
They will compete in the Olympics for the 11th consecutive time since their debut in Los Angeles in 1984, where they also won their first Olympic gold.
China is placed in Pool A for the Paris Olympics and will face the defending champions, the United States, in their opening match on July 28.
They will also compete against hosts France and world champions Serbia during pool play at the South Paris Arena.
Setters: Diao Linyu, Ding Xia
Opposites: Gong Xiangyu, Zheng Yixin
Outside hitters: Li Yingying, Wu Mengjie, Zhang Changning, Zhu Ting
Middle blockers: Gao Yi, Wang Yuanyuan, Yuan Xinuye
Libero: Wang Mengjie
Alternate: Zhuang Yushan (outside hitter)
Story summary:
· China has announced a 13-player roster for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, featuring five Rio 2016 Olympic champions which includes star outside hitter Zhu Ting, who recently rejoined the national team after wrist surgery and playing for an Italian club.
· The team includes notable veterans such as setter Ding Xia, outside hitter Zhang Changning, opposite hitter Gong Xiangyu, and middle blocker Yuan Xinyue, as well as three players from the Tokyo 2020 team, all aiming for another gold medal.
· China, a three-time Olympic champion, secured their spot in Paris 2024 as the highest-ranked Asian team and will compete in their 11th consecutive Olympics. They are placed in Pool A and will face the United States, France, and Serbia during pool play.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]