Exult in the spirit not the win

Chinese players pose with their gold medals after claiming the title in the women's volleyball final. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]

By beating the Serbian team in the Rio Olympics' volleyball final on Sunday, the Chinese women's team grabbed perhaps the last gold medal for the country. But equally importantly, the team regained the spirit to strive for higher goals despite odds－similar to the Olympic motto of faster, higher and stronger－which many believe had been lacking for quite some time.

Although this is the second Olympic triumph of the Chinese women's volleyball team in 12 years, not since the 1980s has the country as one celebrated the courage, perseverance and tenacity of Chinese women volleyball players－during a fateful five years they won the gold in all major world competitions, including the Olympic Games.

What was then called the women volleyball players' spirit extended far beyond the sphere of sports. Because of the women players' endurance and fighting spirit, Chinese people started believing their country could catch up with its developed counterparts in many ways in the near future. And such a spirit and belief helped make China the world's second-largest economy through three decades of rapid economic development.

In sports, skill matters. But sometimes endurance－the strength to continue－matters more than skill, especially when the opponents are equally skillful.

When China lost to Serbia and the Netherlands in the initial stages of the Rio Olympics' volleyball competition, few believed the Chinese women could go very far. But they beat hosts Brazil in the quarterfinals and the Netherlands in the semis, before getting the better of Serbia in the final.

It is the courage coach Lang Ping has instilled into the team that has helped it to create what many consider a miracle. Will the women volleyball players rekindle the spirit of the 1980s among the people? Let's wait and see.