Undaunted by illness and working together - Interview with Li Wenhua, coach of the women's water polo team at the 14th Games

Xi'an, September 20 (Xinhua) -- In the women's water polo quarterfinals of the 14th Games in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, on the 20th, the united team defeated the Sichuan team 23:3 and won the ticket for the semi-finals.

Women's water polo officially became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although the Chinese women's water polo started late, this team has made many appearances in the World Series and reached the final four of the World Championships many times.

Li Wenhua, coach of the joint team, told reporters: "There are 13 players in the joint team of the National Games, the average age is about 25 years old, and the youngest player is the 22-year-old center Chen Xiao. ”

After the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Chinese women's water polo team has accumulated a lot of valuable experience. Li Wenhua said: "Due to the impact of the epidemic, since the 2019 World Championships, we basically have no experience of participating in international competitions. For each team member, the Olympic Games is a accumulation of experience in the competition. Judging from the performance of the Olympic group stage, we have narrowed the gap with the world's strongest teams, and the confidence of the players has also increased. ”

Li Wenhua told reporters that many players still insisted on playing despite their physical injuries. He said that during the Tokyo Olympics, the main center Xiong Dunhan had a serious strain on his left shoulder, which affected her subsequent performance. Shortly after the National Games and the Olympics, she has not fully recovered, and began some confrontational training only a week before the National Games. There are also many team members who have some old injuries, such as Shen Yineng, who has a lot of load on the knee joint because she treads more water as a goalkeeper, causing knee joint damage. Despite this, the players still threw themselves into the national games with full form and high morale.

Bringing the old to the new and working together is the inheritance and advantage of China's female water. Li Wenhua said: "The veteran players played an important leading role in the game. For example, vice captain Wang Xinyan, she is 31 years old, there are many injuries, but for the Olympic Games she returned to the national team to compete, and played a mainstay role in defense. Therefore, the old team members are like 'treasures' for our current team, shining in the team, leading the young players to go up and fight together. ”

Goalkeeper Shen Yineng, who performed well at the Tokyo Olympics, is participating in the National Games for the third time. She said: "This time to participate in the National Games in the form of a joint team, it is also a strong combination, I think we need to reflect more sense of responsibility, continue the spirit of the Tokyo Olympic Games, and be a pacesetter in the domestic arena." ”

For the semi-finals and finals to be held on the 21st and 22nd respectively, Li Wenhua said that winning the championship is the biggest goal, and hopes to show the oppressive attack and tacit cooperation of the united team in the game, so as to enhance the cohesion of the team and enhance the trust between the team members through the competition. (End)