China captain Hui Ruoqi celebrate their gold medal victory over Serbia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 20, 2016 – China captain Hui Ruoqi admitted that China had a tough journey at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to get the gold medal, but they had to trust on their teamwork for this glory.
Lang Ping, Coach of China:
“I am happy for my team. In the past four years, we have been training hard for this. We planned our training rigorously, and we have followed this plan every single day, step by step. I want to thank my players and coaches and everyone who supported the team and trusted in the growth of our volleyball program.
“After three losses in the preliminary round, we had to believe that we had the skill to win. We know that perhaps we were too focused on the outcome and not on the process. We tried to motivate the players and told them that they to play their role before we achieve success.”
“I felt overwhelming relief and relaxation after our victory. I didn’t have the strength to jump and cheer. At the end, fatigue took over.
“In this match we did well but one game can’t measure of our team’s performance. We are a young team with a long way to go. Many teams are equal to our strength. We need to continue to work hard because there are a lot of things to do to improve.”
Hui Ruoqi, Captain of China:
“I am so happy that we’ve won this very precious gold medal. It’s a testament to our opponents. We focused on every point; we won it one by one, until we got the victory. I have to commend my coach for helping us get to the podium.
“I am happy to see so many Chinese supporting us here. It felt like a home court, and we could feel the support back home too. We felt the sense of responsibility that we need to show that Chinese spirit. We hope that this very spirit can play an important role in our society.”
“When I started playing volleyball, a lot of people said that I would not succeed. Fortunately, I worked hard and I succeeded in this field, which just proves that if you have a dream, you should keep it and work hard to achieve it.”
Brankica Mihajlovic, Player of Serbia:
“It’s a mix of emotions, because we lost the match, but what we did up to now is unbelievable. I’m so proud of what we did. It’s the first time for Serbia that this is happening.
“I feel really good. It’s been a tough match for us. China played an amazing match. We tried to catch up with their rhythm, but we were not able to do it. It’s been an amazing tournament for us. We got silver for our country. This has never happened in our history, so I am proud and happy for this moment and this team.
“I think all the players helped each other in this tournament and that’s what made the difference. We had good connection with each other. This is what matters most. I actually tried to give my best performance since the we played the first match, maybe this last match was not the best, but I showed my best and survived.”