LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 4 (Xinhua) -- 24-year-old Olympic champion and the captain of China's national volleyball team Zhu Ting recently spoke to fivb.com exclusively about her biggest influence, the importance of team spirit and putting her heart into becoming a legend.
In the interview, Zhu said her parents supported her attending a sports training school in her hometown in Henan province. "My parents were very supportive of me taking up volleyball," Zhu said. "My first coach in volleyball was probably the next person who influenced me and sparked my interest in the sport."
She told fivb.com that Lang Ping, the legendary coach of the Chinese national team, is her greatest mentor. "Lang Ping is my idol," said Zhu who hopes to follow in her footsteps. "I knew about her since I was young and she is a legend in China. She gave me the opportunity to further my career and she taught me to see things in a broader perspective. She helped me a lot - she has been my biggest influence in volleyball and in life. She made me who I am now and she is my greatest mentor."
The Chinese prodigy has won medals at all the main international tournaments for her country and as a club player, she has guided the Turkish club VakifBank Istanbul with back-to-back World Championship titles, as well as winning two consecutive MVP awards.
When talking about her current club VakifBank Istanbul, she called it "a very strong team."
"I am surrounded with great people and I have learned a lot playing with many great players here in Turkey. I am very happy here because everyone is friendly. This is my first club playing overseas and I like the system very much. Giovanni (Guidetti) is very dedicated to volleyball. He is a great coach and he is fascinating."
Zhu has developed maturity and wisdom by seizing every opportunity that came her way. Now, the young skipper has humbly accepted the challenge of carrying a big responsibility as captain of the team.
"I'm happy that my coach and my teammates have given me this recognition as captain," Zhu said. "But I believe that we are able to be where we are right now because everyone is constantly and consciously working hard. My role is to get the team to communicate constantly well on the court."
Zhu is looking forward to the Volleyball Nations League and will try her best to play well and make fans proud. She also hopes to have another great performance in the second season.
Zhu is committed to promoting team spirit. "I always tell myself not to be tired and keep hoping that I can always play volleyball," she said.
When her time comes to retire, Zhu would like to pass on her legacy and help in the development of the sport. "Maybe in the future I want to conduct summer camps for kids. I want to teach the children to play volleyball. I believe that there will be many other ways for me to help develop the sport," Zhu said.
