'Time bomb'

"We are not as strong a side as we were back in 2013. But through those years, through ups and downs, I've seen the growth of my players," said Lang, pointing out how onetime rookies such as Zhu, Yuan Xinyue and Zhang Changning, are now all world-class players.

"Since then, all of our efforts have been rewarded. We've been crowned in almost all of the important events, except the world championships.

"Only this time in Tokyo, our efforts have gone unrewarded. It's unusual," added Lang, stressing that she is still trying to figure out the reasons for the Tokyo flop.

Zhu's injury, of course, figured heavily in China's struggles. The Rio 2016 MVP looked a shadow of her usual self on the court, and was dropped for the final two matches.

Lang said Zhu sustained the wrist problem years ago, describing it as "a time bomb". She revealed that when the postponement of the Tokyo Games was announced, surgery was considered on the injured wrist, but doctors ultimately advised against it.

"The fact is that the risk (of surgery) was too high, so we had to turn to a more conservative treatment. Hence Zhu Ting seldom participated in training on the front row throughout the whole year before the Tokyo Games."

Lang, though, refused to lay all the blame for the team's shock exit on Zhu's injury.

"Our players count on her and sometimes they were waiting for Zhu to stand out, just like every time when they encountered difficulties over the past eight years," she said.

"But it doesn't mean that our players didn't work hard. The thing is at times we didn't work as a team or as a unified force, and we couldn't find our rhythm."

Lang also attributed her team's poor performance to mental stress and a lack of international competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo 2020 may be the end of Lang's Olympic story, but for her players a new journey begins with Paris 2024.

"They are still young. I told them before our final match that this is your restart point for Paris," she said.

"What happened in Tokyo is a precious experience for those young players. I told them don't forget this. They need to remember the failure and find out how to recover when they encounter difficulties in the next Olympics."

Xinhua