Winning an elusive Olympic medal is only part of the mission for China's softball team in August. The Chinese girls will also work together with other seven teams to try to rescue the sport from long-term Olympic exile.
Softball, which was included in the Olympic program in 1996, was voted out of the 2012 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2005.
Maybe it can be reinstated for the 2016 Games with IOC's vote as early as next year. But so far, Beijing is its last official Olympic arena, especially for the host's medal-drought softball team.
After gaining the first-ever silver medal in Atlanta 1996, China came fourth in Sydney and Athens. The 15 Chinese players named this month are all aiming to seek a podium finish next month.
"I don't want to leave regret in the softball field. I have never got a medal yet and this is my last chance. That's what gets me up everyday to keep training," said veteran short stop Li Chunxia who will retire after the Beijing Games.
Though lacking physical advantages compared to the Americans or the Aussies, China's players could still perform well based on their solid defence against these world powerhouses.
Wang Lihong, one of the former top pitchers in the world, built her team around a core of veteran players that brought tremendous amount of international experience. With some talented young hurlers, this team now is well balanced among speed, flexibility, steady pitching and defence.
However, attacking is one of China's biggest headache. Without world-class and powerful batters, they often failed to break the deadlock at critical innings.
According to Wang, striving for a medal would be their most practical target in this summer, yet effort is still needed.
For the experienced U.S. team, which have wrapped up all the Olympic golds up to now, winning a fourth consecutive gold medal is not a difficult task.
Four years ago, the Americans played more like in a league of its own in Athens. The dubbed "Real Dream Team" dominated the eight-team field, winning all nine games and outscoring opponents 51-1.
The U.S. 2008 Olympic team roster named in March includes ten Athens gold medalists and 13 memebers from the 2006 World Championship team.
With the balance between power and speed, talented pitchers and decisive sluggers, the Americans is the overwhelming favorite to defend their title in Beijing.
Japan, third in Athens and runner-up at the 2006 World Championship, is one of the very few teams capable of beating the United States. With their world-class pitchers' lead, Japan could become another competitive contender for the title.
Australia, with one Olympic silver and two bronzes, also aims to chase the elusive gold at softball's last appearance in Olympic arena. Strong batters could help them destroy rivals' defence.
Source:Xinhua
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