Chinese star Hui Ruoqi is back in training with the national team after an eight-month absence because of her heart surgery
Beijing, China, May 25, 2016 – Hui Ruoqi is trying to earn a spot in the China women’s national squad for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, after undergoing heart surgery.
The star and former captain of the national side has a lot of work to do according to her coach Lang Ping as the outside hitter returns after an eight-month absence to correct her cardiac arrhythmia problem.
“She is training a lot better than she first returned to the squad (after surgery) but we still have to monitor her condition closely,” coach Lang said. “After all, she has not played for a year. She will get more playing time when we compete at the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland next week. She needs to get her feeling back for the game. She needs time to get her skills back and improve understanding her team-mates. She has to work hard.”
Hui joined the training since last April and hopes to help her team follow-up on their Athens 2004 gold medal performance. The final selection of players for Rio 2016 is still up in the air.
“We will decide the squad probably after the World Grand Prix and select the best 12 players for Rio 2016,” Lang said.
China are in for a tough competition in Group B at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with 2015 World Grand Prix winners the United States, World Cup runners-up Serbia, and recently qualified teams Italy, Netherlands and Puerto Rico.
“Every match will be tough,” Lang said. “We don’t play Puerto Rico very often but all the others are strong teams from America and Europe.”
FIVB Honorary Life President Wei Jizhong visited the team on Tuesday at the National Training Centre in Beijing, and mentioned that China, USA and hosts Brazil are the frontrunners in Rio.
“The teams are of a similar standard,” President Wei said. “Gold will go to the team who performs best on that day.”