Injury-plagued women's volleyball players Zhao Ruirui and Feng Kun finally showed up on the latest 14-member list of the closed-door training session for the Beijing Olympics, which will be held in Zhangzhou city of Fujian from January 1 to February 23.
Feng Kun
The powerful spiker Zhao has been battling a knee injury since 2004 that she sustained in the first game of the Athens Olympics, while captain and setter Feng, also coming off a knee injury, has been sidelined for almost a year following surgery.
"I am glad to see them fully fit again and back with us," said head coach Chen Zhonghe.
"I hope they will find their best form as soon as possible. Both are still the best players in China and we are looking forward to seeing them play again at the Olympic Games."
Zhao and Feng will both have to spend time getting to know the new faces on the team.
"Both of us did not play for a long time. And also there are many new faces around," Feng said. "Definitely we need some time to know them better and get involved."
The duo, together with Yang Hao, Zhou Suhong and Liu Ya'nan, are the only players on the team with Olympic experience. Young stars like Zhao Yanni and Hui Ruoqi have no international experience, but their impressive performances in the national league convinced Chen to call them up.
"The returning veterans, together with our fresh blood, will enrich our playing style," Chen said. "They will push each other and make the closed-door training more competitive."
China staged a remarkable come-from-behind win over Russia to bag the Athens Olympic gold medal three years ago.
After the 2004 Games, however, the national team suffered a string of losses to lowly ranked teams and slumped due to the veterans' injuries and the inexperience of the youngsters.
In the preliminary round of this year's Grand Prix, China finished a disappointing eighth, but automatically qualified for the finals in August as the host.
"There are emerging powerhouses like Italy and the US in recent years," Chen said. "It's more difficult for us to defend the title.
"But our fate is in our own hands. As long as those key players are back on track and younger ones show improvements in the remaining time, we are still one of the best teams in the world, and playing on home soil, we have nothing to fear."
Chen also dismissed reports suggesting he might retire after the Beijing Games.
"I never said I would quit after the Games. I know it's not an easy job. But it seems like destiny that I will have to undertake lots of difficulties in my coaching career.
"Just like four years ago, we faced difficulties and doubts after Zhao got injured. But we still overcame them all to stand on the top podium. I still have confidence in myself also in my players."