Coach Zheng says the best is yet to come for the Chinese women's team
2024-02-05
Team China's women's basketball coach, Zheng Wei, is tossed into the air by her players, as they celebrate winning gold at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. [Photo/Xinhua]
Despite the progress of the past two years, Team China's women's basketball team coach Zheng Wei still believes that there is more to come from her side in the future.
The team departed their training base in Qingyuan, South China's Guangdong province, on Friday, to Xi'an, where they will compete in the FIBA women's Olympic qualifiers from Feb 8-11.
"Our best is yet to come," Zheng told Xinhua.
No minnows
China will face New Zealand, France and Puerto Rico in Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province. As France has automatically secured a place at the Olympic Games as hosts, China will vie with the other two teams for the two Olympic tickets on offer.
As China's players reconvened in early January to prepare for the Olympic qualifiers, several carried injuries from their domestic league duties, meaning the team's initial training sessions were disrupted.
"I was quite worried," Zheng admitted. "Qualifying for the Paris Olympics is a big task for us. As our opponents are playing quality matches in their respective leagues, they can drop into competitive matches more quickly. Therefore, these several weeks of training are crucial for us."
Zheng noted that China's opponents pose different challenges. "France is a powerhouse in women's basketball and maintains its position as one of the world's best teams. New Zealand and Puerto Rico are ranked lower than us, but Puerto Rico has kept progressing since the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2022, and New Zealand outplayed South Korea at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup last year," she commented.
"There are no weak teams in the Olympic qualifiers, so we need to reach the level of international competition as quickly as possible, both physically and mentally. Only when you fully prepare, can you play at your best," said Zheng.
Step by step
China's women have had an impressive run over the past two years. Following a runners-up finish at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, China continued its momentum to triumph at the Asia Cup and the Asian Games last year.
But, with consistent glory comes greater expectation and pressure.
"In competitive sports, there is no team that can always maintain an upward trend. That said, we need to strive to be better every time, which brings huge pressure," Zheng noted, while trying to motivate herself and the team, just as she did three months ago.
"At crunch time, China never let you down," said an emotional Zheng, after her side clinched the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou in October.
Recalling that moment, Zheng said, "I just wanted to offer motivation to myself and to the team. After achieving successes, we need to do our job, step by step, and also remind everyone to make solid preparations in order to not let people down. It should come down to our everyday training," she added.
Zheng attributed her team's recent successes to the solid foundation of the past and a strength of spirit.
"China's women have taken silver medals at the Olympic Games and the World Championship in the past, and it's our responsibility to carry forward the team's spirit and tradition," Zheng remarked.
Zheng offers encouragement to the team during the final match at the Asian Games. [Photo/Xinhua]
Strive for better
With consecutive successes at the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, Zheng said that 2023 was a year of dreams coming true for her side, though she envisages a tough task in 2024.
At the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, China finished fifth after losing in the quarterfinals to Serbia.
"Qualifying for the Olympic Games is our primary goal this year. We must earn a spot at the Olympics and try to gain the best result we can to make up for the Tokyo Olympics," Zheng said.
"I hope that everyone can stay fit to play, this is my biggest wish."
Despite placing second in the world rankings, and boasting a balanced roster in terms of depth and age profile, Zheng urged a note of caution.
"We finished runners-up at the World Cup and regained the Asian Cup after a 12-year wait. We have been on the rise over the past two years, but there is still much to improve. We are not yet at our best," she explained.
"Some players have favorable physical attributes, but they are young and inexperienced and have to improve their skills. Hopefully, they can live up to their billing as a golden generation with their performances at the Olympic Games," Zheng concluded.
