The women’s beach volleyball team meets strong enemies again and expects to hit a record high.

China team Wang Jie (right)/Tian Jia celebrates the victory Xinhua News Agency reporter Shadati photo.

　　On August 21st, Beijing time, the bronze medal battle for the women’s beach volleyball in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will start first. China’s Xue Chen/Zhang Xi will meet Brazil’s renate and Tarita. Although they lost to China veteran Tian Jia/Wang Jie in the semi-final, they have already made history. Can they help China win the first Olympic sand volleyball medal? The Renata/Tarita combination is not without strength. Although Walsh/May, the former Olympic champion of the American combination, easily defeated them, after Julianne retired due to injury, they were already the top players in Brazil.

　　Xue Chen/Zhang Xi ranked fourth in the world in 2008, which is also the highest ranking in these years. It can be said that this year is the best year for China women. Two China teenagers are typical high-profile teams. Zhang Xihe, who is 23 years old and 1.83 meters tall, and Xue Chen, who is 19 years old and 1.89 meters tall, have been fighting very hard in previous competitions. After winning the group competition without bloodshed, they met Blana/Youngs, the strongest rival from the United States, in the knockout stage. Xue and Zhang didn’t play well in the competition, but their opponents were high-scoring players with high mistakes at the same time. In the semi-final, they faced Tian Jia and Wang Jie, a senior teacher and sister. Xue Zhang and Zhang have played the spirit of daring to fight and dare to fight, and they can afford to let go. They are newborn calves who are not afraid of tigers, especially Zhang Xi. They are not soft in the face of the aggressive momentum of the teacher elder sister Wang Jie, and their offensive efficiency is super high. At the same time, they also scored many defensive points. And Xue Chen showed the rare composure of young players, and used his height advantage to tackle Wang Jie’s smash many times. If Tian Jia, a veteran of the three-time Olympic Games, didn’t finally play the role of anchoring the sea, it would be Xue Chen Zhang Xi who stood in the final tomorrow.

　　Renate and Tarita from different backgrounds had a brief cooperation as early as 2002. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Tarita and Jackie? Silva partnered and won their first Olympic gold medal in women’s beach volleyball. Coincidentally, with Jackie? Together with Silva, renate won the South American Beach Volleyball Championship. After a brief dissolution in 2003, the two reunited in 2005, when Tarita won the Best Newcomer Award in the FIVB World Volleyball Tour. When they reached the final in St. Petersburg, Russia on the sand volleyball tour, they broke the youngest record in the history of beach volleyball competition to participate in the final. And it was Xue Chen Zhang Xi who broke their record again. At the end of the 2005 season, they ranked sixth, and in 2006 and 2007, they ranked fifth. In 2008, Tarita won the title of Queen of Beach Volleyball in Brazil. She also partnered with renate to beat Olympic champion Walsh/May in the Queen Challenge of Beach Volleyball, and this year they ranked second in the world. In the group stage, the Brazilian team also won three big victories. When facing the Norwegian opponent of Tian Jia and Wang Jie’s team, the two talents participated in the deciding game for the first time. Of course, when facing the American team Walsh/Mei again, they lost their direction. In the face of the American team’s storm blocking, they lost their rhythm and could only accept the fate of losing 0-2.

　　Although Brazil ranked second and Xue Chen/Zhang Xi ranked fourth, Zhang Xi once said, "In fact, our fourth place does not mean that only three teams can beat us, and our performance will fluctuate when we meet different types of players." Compared with Xue Zhang, the Brazilian team belongs to the double-short team, so in tomorrow’s game, storming and blocking are bound to be the scoring means we need to seize, while for the opponent’s light adjustment and saving, what China team needs to do is to make a good backcourt and stick to the position.

　　The match between Xue Chen and Zhang Xi will start at 9:00 am on 21st, and the championship battle between Tian Jia and Wang Jie will start at 11: 00. Let’s wish them success and win glory for their motherland.

Editor: Zhang Toya