[Guangzhou Daily] One More Iron Hammer for Guangzhou

Source: Guangzhou Daily

After being away from the Chinese volleyball circle for 12 years, Lang Ping was signed up in Guangzhou as chief coach of Evergrande Women s Volleyball Club

Exclusive disclosure

Planner: Chen Weisheng, reporter of Guangzhou Daily

Author: Yang Min, reporter of Guangzhou Daily

Photographer: Liang Jiajian, reporter of Guangzhou Daily

Lang Ping (right) coing to the training ground of Evergrande Women's Volleyball Club, shaking hands with her future "disciples".

Lang Ping's daughter (left) following her mother to the training ground.

After being away from the Chinese volleyball circle for 12 years, "Iron Hammer" Lang Ping finally made up her mind to come back home. Lang Ping was signed up by the first China s professional volleyball club - Evergrande Volleyball Club in a low-profile manner on July 31 as chief coach. Through deliberate inquiry, our reporter learnt the details and got precious inside photos for our readers to view.

On the morning of August 12, "Welcoming Lang Ping s Return Ceremony" hosted by the Guangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau and undertaken by Evergrande Volleyball Club will be held in Evergrande Hotel. At that time, Evergrande Volleyball Club will formally grant a letter of appointment to chief coach Lang Ping, and the General Administration of Sport of China, provincial and municipal leaders at all levels, members of Lang Ping s former volleyball team and nearly 200 global mainstream media will send their representatives to commonly witness this precious moment.

Lang Ping was officially signed up at the end of July

After ceasing to be chief coach of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team, Lang Ping once served as chief coach of the Italian Women's Volleyball Club, the U.S. Women's Volleyball Team and the Turkish Women's Volleyball Club. After the Turkish League ended, Lang Ping said that she would be temporarily on holiday for one year to seriously consider her future employment.

Informed insiders revealed that it was at this time that Evergrande Volleyball Club established by Evergrande Real Estate Group Limited sincerely invited her to serve as chief coach of the first China s professional volleyball club. Through contact, Lang Ping with her elder sister Lang Hong and her daughter Bai Lang visited Evergrande Volleyball Club in the company of her years of excellent assistant Li Yong on July 18.

Lang Ping was deeply impressed by flower city Guangzhou and the high-standard software and hardware of Evergrande Club, and in her one-to-one meeting with Xu Jiayin, chairman of the board of directors of Evergrande, Lang Ping was deeply moved by his sincerity, enthusiasm at sports and patriotism. Lang Ping was touched and returned to Guangzhou after 10-plus days.

On the evening of July 31, she was officially signed up by Xu Jiayin so that she could stop her years of life abroad and "come back home".

Xu Jiayin, chairman of the board of directors of Evergrande, (middle) welcoming Lang Ping home

Lang Ping being signed up in a low-profile manner as chief coach of Evergrande Women s Volleyball Club.

Lang Ping implied in her previous interview with reporters that she might return home. "If there is a good opportunity, I am sure I ll return home since it s certain that I will coach a volleyball team. I will not retire immediately. If there is a suitable job, maybe I will return soon. "She stressed she would not serve as chief coach of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team, "I had better retreat to the back line for popularization and education. Certainly I will not coach a team at the kindergarten level. I will still coach a high-level professional team.

It s fully supported by the Volleyball Management Center under the General Administration of Sport of China and her family that Lang Ping returns home to serve as chief coach of Evergrande Women's Volleyball Club. Lang Ping, Lang Ping s daughter, has been in extreme favor of her mother s decision as she has been deeply in love with Guangzhou after she first arrived in the city. Bai Lang stayed in Guangzhou for 3 or 4 days in mid-July, when she was trained with the Evergrande Women's Volleyball Club almost every day, and she was fascinated by her new home with an area of 308 square meters.

Lang Ping expressed her love for Guangzhou to the company of Evergrande Real Estate Group Limited again and again. She thinks that Guangzhou has a strong mass base for volleyball and that the people there are enthusiastic at Chinese women's volleyball. What s more important is that EvergrandeWomen's Volleyball Club has provided her with a new stage of career development.

In addition, she feels so satisfied with the work and living conditions provided by the club that she rests assured of having a new home in Guangzhou. Of course, Lang Ping praised Guangzhou delicacies, and during her two visits to Guangzhou, she tasted a lot of delicious Cantonese food and picked fruits in an orchard.

In her view, if she works and lives in Guangzhou for long, she will easily acclimatized.

Bai Lang smashing with heroic bearing like her mother, Iron Hammer Lang Ping.

Lang Ping meeting the team members and Bai Lang (left) joking with her mother.

Profile of Lang Ping

Player experience

Lang Ping was selected to be trained in the volleyball class of Beijing Workers Stadium Sports School in 1973 and joined Beijing Women's Volleyball Team in 1976. She was selected by Chinese Women's Volleyball Team in 1978 and retired in 1985. she graduated from Beijing Normal University as an English major.

In 1987, Lang Ping went to the University of New Mexico in the US to study there and finally obtained a master's degree in sports management modernization. Thereafter, Lang Ping played volleyball at the Italian Modena Women's Volleyball Team and won the championship in Italy Cup Match in 1989. In 1990, Lang Ping once attended the 11th World Women's Volleyball Championship in China and became runner-up for she was defeated by the women's volleyball team of the former Soviet Union in the finals, and then she retired again.

Individual honors in three major matches

Champion of the 3rd World Cup in 1981

Champion of the 9th World Women's Volleyball Championship in 1982

Champion of Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984

Champion of the 4th World Cup in 1985

Champion of the 11th World Women's Volleyball Championship in 1990

Coach experience

Lang Ping was hired as chief coach of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team In 1995 and led the team out of the historical slump by winning a silver medal in Atlanta Olympic Games and a runner-up title in the 13rd World Women's Volleyball Championship, but she resigned in 1998 because she failed to lead the team to regain the world championship.

From 1999 to 2004, Lan