WUHAN, Oct. 24-- Fresh from bagging a silver from women's volleyball at the 7th Military World Games, Liu Yanhan, captain of China told Xinhua on Thursday that she is trying to fit into her new role as an opposite spiker and will strive for a place in the defending champion's roster at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. China lost to Brazil 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19) in the military games final on Tuesday in front of a buzzing home crowd. "We had been looking forward to this match and prepared a lot for it. But losing points at crucial times when the game is tight affected our mentality, and then the entire match," Liu said. This is Liu's third military games, in which she took three silvers in a row as China lost all three finals to the same opponent - Brazil. However, lessons from her previous experiences and sharing her learnings with teammates were not enough to save the host from defeat this time. "When facing a close rival after full preparation, how to bring out our full potential on the court? I think this is the problem we need to address after this military games," Liu noted. At this year's military games, Liu was named team captain, the same role she played at the Asian Championships in which China took home a bronze. To Liu, role of team captain gave her more pressure and responsibility. "As the captain, you need to not only shoulder your responsibility as a player but also you have to motivate your teammates. It is a great psychological challenge, especially when you are struggling in the match, you have to stay energetic and play a leading role to fight for victory," the 26-year-old said. |