Zhu Ting plays for Tianjin Bohai Bank Women's Volleyball Club in Shanghai, in this Jan 14 file photo. [Xinhua]

Beijing — China's women's volleyball team spiker Zhu Ting told Xinhua on Tuesday that she was honored to get China's Youth Award on the eve of China's Youth Day.

The award, jointly presented by the All-China Youth Federation and Chinese Communist Youth League, is the highest honor for youths from all walks of life and all corners of the country.

As the captain of Team China, Zhu said she receives the award on behalf of the team, claiming the award was also a major encouragement to her.

"Our coach Lang Ping always reminds me that we are a team, everyone cannot make progress without the cultivation of the group no matter who she is," Zhu said.

"The most eye-catching slogan in our training base read 'starting from scratch after stepping down the podium', which warns us that the award just means what we achieved in the past, and we should be motivated to march for more glories," she noted.

"Others who receive the award are all the young people making contributions to the construction of our country, which makes me further recognize the significance of playing hard to win the honor for the country," she added.

Having helped China win its third Olympic gold medal in Rio 2016, Zhu led China to successfully defend the World Cup Championship in 2019 and also pocketed her first Chinese Volleyball Super League title with Tianjin Bohai Bank early this year, after a three-year stint with Turkish powerhouse Vakifbank.

Standing at 195cm, the 25-year-old was hailed as the "pillar" of the team by the website of Chinese Communist Youth League.

"Volleyball is a group sport," she repeated.

"I am happy to hear that praise, but I can't succeed without the team's cooperation, each of us is working hard to make others better."

Zhu admitted she was a little upset after the Tokyo Olympic Games were pushed back 12 months due to the outbreak of the COVID-19.

She disclosed that the team had been training behind closed doors despite the postponement, stating it was a part of sports.

"Yes, we have to overcome all kinds of difficulties under the circumstance, but it is not a big deal compared to the doctors and nurses who fight against the virus even sacrificing themselves," Zhu said.

"The postponement is a problem to all the teams, but it may turn into an opportunity depending on whether you can cope with the change and seize it to strengthen points of weakness," she added.

(Source: Xinhua)