Photo/Teacher Weng gossip
Editor/Teacher Weng gossip
Preface
The Chinese women's volleyball team for the Paris Olympics was announced on June 29, 2024 through the official website of the Chinese Volleyball Association. After the list was released, it quickly appeared on the hot search list, triggering a wide range of fan discussions. Zheng Yixin's selection as a substitute setter in the Paris Olympics squad has raised a lot of questions, with some suggesting that her strength may not be able to cope with the competitive pressure of the Olympics.
Extraordinary career
Zheng Yixin, born in 1995, is from Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, and his father was a high jumper. At first, her father didn't want her to become an athlete, but later, after many persuasions from the sports school volleyball coach, he finally agreed to let her pursue this field. In 2012, Zheng Yixin helped the national youth team win the Asian Youth Championship and won the title of "Best Blocking Player".
The following year, she finished sixth with the team in the Swiss Women's Volleyball Classic. Subsequently, at the Women's Volleyball World Championships, Zheng Yixin helped the national youth team win the championship again after 18 years with a winning record. In 2014, she began to try sand volleyball competitions, but the results were mediocre, and then returned to the indoor women's volleyball program.
In the following year, Zheng Yixin was selected for the first time in the Chinese women's volleyball team training list. She also helped the Olympic team win the Women's Volleyball Asian Championship with a complete record and was selected for the tournament's best team. Zheng Yixin's importance in the Chinese women's volleyball team is self-evident. She has excelled in several international competitions in recent years, winning several accolades for the national team.
On March 29, 2017, Zheng Yixin was selected into the new Chinese women's ranking list. In June, she won the third place in the Swiss Women's Volleyball Classic together with the Chinese women's volleyball team. This is one of her highlights on the international stage. On February 11, 2018, the Chinese Volleyball Association announced the list of the first training camp of the Chinese women's volleyball team in 2018, and Zheng Yixin was selected again. In September, she helped the second Chinese women's volleyball team defend their title in the Women's Volleyball Asian Cup and achieved the feat of three consecutive championships.
On January 21, 2019, Zheng Yixin was once again selected into the new training squad of the Chinese women's volleyball team. In May, she participated in the Swiss Women's Volleyball Classic with the Chinese women's volleyball team, ranking 10th in the first pass list and helping the team to finish sixth. In July 2019, she won the third place in the World Women's Volleyball League Finals together with the Chinese women's volleyball team. This marks her consistent performance and leadership on the international stage.
In August 2019, at the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, the Chinese women's volleyball team failed to enter the final and finally finished fourth. Zheng Yixin's efforts and contributions were fully reflected in this competition. Later, the Chinese team won the World Cup for the fifth time in history.
The announcement of the list has caused heated discussions
Zheng Yixin is fully preparing for the Paris Olympics, and there are only more than 20 days left before the opening. However, many fans are not optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese women's volleyball team. They believe that the substitutes for the main setter Diao Linyu and the setter Gong Xiangyu are not suitable, and Ding Xia and Zheng Yixin are difficult to handle this important task.
The Chinese women's volleyball team will be in Group A with the host France, Serbia and the United States, known as the "Group of Death". In this group, only the top two and the best third place finishers from the two groups will advance to the quarter-finals. In recent years, the Chinese women's volleyball team has not won or lost many games against Serbia and the United States, and its strength is obviously at a disadvantage. As a result, they face a huge challenge in advancing to the group stage.
Despite the difficulties, as a team with a glorious tradition, the Chinese women's volleyball team is good at emerging in difficult and fierce competitions. Head coach Cai Bin and his players firmly believe that they can reach the podium at the Paris Olympics. As a member of the team, Zheng Yixin has the desire to prove her strength, and she will do her best to strive for better results for the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Zheng Yixin represented the Chinese women's volleyball team in the World Women's Volleyball World League Finals in Bangkok, Thailand on June 20, 2024, and she played as a substitute in this game. In the quarter-finals against Japan, she made her first appearance at the start of the match and was involved throughout the match, without being substituted.
However, in the match against Japan, Zheng Yixin's performance was not ideal, and he only scored 4 points. Her return is inconsistent, her back-row defence is porous, and she lacks in spot-on. In some of the ball passes, Zheng Yixin did not succeed in smashing the ball, but lost the opportunity to score. Hui Ruoqi, the women's ranking general, made it clear when commenting on the game that the receiving position is the weak link of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
After the game, Zheng Yixin's performance was criticized by netizens and fans, and she herself shed tears of remorse after the game. In an interview, Zheng Yixin thanked head coach Yuan Zhi for his trust in her, and despite her poor form, Yuan Zhi chose to trust her. Zheng Yixin expressed this opinion in the interview: she is at a low point in this stage of the competition and has not shown her true level.
Now the dream is to win glory for the country
In the past three years, the Chinese women's volleyball team has had serious problems in the receiving position, which prompted Zheng Yixin to serve as the receiving position again. Despite her dedication in this position, she has rarely played and sometimes struggled to make a difference even when she is on the pitch. In addition to Gong Xiangyu in China, there are almost no other receptions that can match her.
During this time, only Gong Xiangyu and Zheng Yixin supported the receiving position. Although the newcomers are not as skilled as her, the veterans are difficult to compare with her. As a result, she is almost certain to have a place at the Paris Olympics. Many fans compared her to Wang Yunrui, believing that it took her only three years to qualify for the Paris Olympics, but Wang Yunrui failed to be selected after three years of main career.
This comparison is inappropriate, as the two of them are in completely different positions. The reason why Zheng Yixin was selected for the Paris Olympics is entirely because of her personal strength; And the reason why Wang Yunrui was not selected was because her level was really insufficient, and they couldn't be compared at all.
After the Olympic list was announced, Zheng Yixin's name was still among them, which sparked heated discussions among netizens, and a considerable number of fans believed that she should not be selected for the list. However, from an objective point of view, Zheng Yixin still has certain characteristics and strength, as long as her form recovers, she can still have an excellent performance. Now, she is training behind closed doors before the Olympics, and she keeps her cool and tries to take on every day of training to prepare for the next challenges and hopefully bring glory to her country!
epilogue
Zheng Yixin, as a rookie of the Chinese women's volleyball team, has always attracted attention for her excellent skills and tenacious character. However, her inclusion in the squad for the Paris Olympics has sparked widespread controversy. Some questioned whether her experience and ability were enough to handle such an important stage, while others worried that her addition could affect the stability of the team.
Today, Zheng Yixin's dream is to win glory for the country, and she has proved her value and ability with practical actions. She is not just a player, she is a role model of being able to keep believing and improve in the face of challenges. Every minute and every second of the Paris Olympics will be a precious opportunity for her to show herself and prove herself to the world.