It's rare to see a team earn 11 straight wins (连胜) in a tournament (锦标赛). However, the Chinese Women's volleyball team has done it!
On Sept 29, China took the Women's Volleyball World Cup Trophy(奖杯) in Japan. The team didn't lose any of its games during the tournament. It was also the team's 10th world title (冠军).
"The trophy is the best gift to celebrate the 70th birthday of New China," People's Daily said in an article.
The Chinese Women's volleyball team has long been the pride of Chinese athletics. In the 1980s, the team won five world titles in a row (连续), which raised people's confidence at the time. Since then its fighting spirit has encouraged generations (一代代) of people, both within the team and across the country.
Working hard was the key to the team's success. The World Cup was played in several different cities and the team didn't have much time to train. The girls had to squeeze in (挤出) training time when they could. On Sept 25, for example, they arrived in Osaka at 2:30 pm and started training only an hour later.
Never giving up, especially during difficult times, is also the key to getting success, according to head coach Lang Ping. Many of the team's members kept on playing even after being hurt.
With their latest win, the girls are ready to prepare for next year's Tokyo Olympics.