Lang Ping to pick US women's volleyball team
(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2005-03-01 08:25

Former Chinese volleyball star Lang Ping has started her coaching career with the US women's national team.

Lang Ping, once known as the "Iron Hammer" by hundreds of millions of Chinese, was hired in early February as headcoach of the U.S. women's volleyball team.

She was in Colorado Springs, the USA Volleyball's training base over the weekend to handpick her future players from more than 100 candidates.

"Although I have not signed the contract, I've come to see my players and have a better understanding of the team."

Lang Ping will formally start her coaching job with the US team in May.

The 45-year-old was one of the world's best players in the 1980s and later coached the Chinese team to a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Since leaving China's national team in 1999, she has been a head coach for a number of championship teams in the Italian League.

Lang Ping's hiring could lead to a potentially heated match-up against reigning Olympic and world champions China at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.