Lang Ping was already the first woman to coach in a gold medal match but with China’s victory over Serbia in four sets Saturday (19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23), she also became the first person to win gold as both a player and a coach.
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Zhu Ting put China on her back once again, tallying 25 points in the gold medal match, going head-to-head with Serbia’s Tijana Boskovic (23 points). She also coached China to an Olympic silver medal in 1996. But Serbia refused to go away, clawing back to tie the match several times.
The Chinese women’s volleyball team players celebrate during the final game against Serbia at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 20, 2016.
China won last year’s world championships and they were ranked third in the world entering the tournament, so their winning gold isn’t a shock.
The United States women were able to put aside the disappointing semifinal loss to Serbia and won bronze. It is the third straight medal for the USA women.
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Jamaica’s silver was their fifth straight medal in the event, following silver in 2000 and bronze in 2004, 2008 and 2012 while Britain claimed their first medal since 1992.
