A poll conducted by a popular Chinese portal Wednesday suggested that most Chinese net users considered volleyball big Lang Ping's coaching results of the U.S. women's team a success.
Lang, or Jenny as her American colleagues called her, has chosen not to extend her contract as the head coach of the American team for the upcoming Olympic quadrennial, USA Volleyball announced today in the United States on its website.
Lang cited the desire for a coaching position that offers more flexibility to spend time with her family as a major factor in her decision.
"At this moment in my life, family comes first and I wish more flexibility to spend time with them," Lang said on her decision to leave USA Volleyball. "I prefer a club volleyball season that lasts five months so that I can spend the other seven months of the year with them.
Hours after the Chinese version for the story posted in Sina.com, one of the largest portals in China, over 1,200 net users took part in a poll soliciting opinions on Lang's decision.
Over 90 percent of the net users considered Lang had done a "very good" job during her four-year tenure while just seven percent were thinking "so so" about her achievement.
Lang compiled a 90-49 record and led the American team to its first Olympic Games medal since 1992 with the aforementioned silver in Beijing.
The silver medal for the United States from Beijing Games matched its previous best finish from the 1984 Olympic Games, its only other Olympic Games reaching the gold-medal match.
Seven hundred and twenty eight people or 60 percent poll takers agreed that Lang "needs to be with her family for more time" while16 percent were surprised at her departure. But 42 percent of the total thought it was "zero possibility" for Lang to come back to coach the Chinese team.
Turning 48 next month, Lang was adored by millions of Chinese fans both as a player and a coach.
As a player, the star outside hitter anchored in China's major breakthrough in the volleyball world in the eighties last century as she led the team to the 1984 Olympic gold medal, one world championship and two world cup victories.
She started to coach the Chinese women's team in 1995 and led them to a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before she took over the U.S. team in 2005.
Source: Xinhua
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