体坛英语新闻：Interview: Volleyball WC winner Liu Yanhan seeks to play Tokyo 2020 in new position

WUHAN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- 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.

"Off the court, you need to care for your teammates and study the opponents, so that when you encounter difficulties on the court, you know what is the problem and how to work it out," she added.

Apart from learning to be a good captain, Liu also needs to adapt to her new role as an opposite hitter, which started at the World Cup last month and extended to this tournament, instead of a wing spiker she had used to be.

"I'm not that familiar with it (opposite spiker) compared with my original position (wing spiker). It involves more responsibilities. For example, after a block, the first thing that comes to the mind of a wing spiker is to step back and ready to fire attack. But for an opposite spiker, you need to think more about defense. Coordinating with the setter is also important. Sometimes the passes are comfortable but sometimes are not, you need to deal with all of them," Liu pointed out.

"I have played this position before, but in order to reach a higher level, I still need more practices."

Liu stepped on top of the podium with China at the FIVB Women's World Cup in Japan, but for a majority of the time, she was a bench player in the national team.

"Coach Lang Ping asked me to get ready when I was off the court, so that when I was sent on, I could integrate into the team work in the shortest time," she said.

The seasoned player expressed her gratitude to coach Lang as a role model, who always pays attention to details on training and sticks to principles.

"She has set an example for us in training every day. I learned from her to have a strong mentality and being devoted and attentive in everyday training."

Speaking of the fierce competition within the team to make the 12-strong roster for Tokyo 2020, Liu was ready and determined to make it.

"I think it's normal to go through a fierce competition [for the national squad selection]. Positive competitions make us better to match the top players from all over the world. As for me, I love playing volleyball and I have been trying to improve myself and catch up with them. I will discover my weaknesses and try to fix them," Liu said.

"In a word, I will keep my eyes focused on my goal and fight for it," she concluded.

Liu, who can speak fluent English, has been enjoying her time at the military games. "I like communicating with players from other countries, learning about different understandings on the sport and different cultures. I find that's very interesting," Liu added.