Swine flu keeping Chinese divers home
Wednesday, 29th April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
This means that Guo Jingjing, China's runaway top female sports figure and one of its top three sports stars period, will delay her return to the pool. She hasn't competed since the Olympics.
What a bummer for sports fans who had hoped to see the world's best compete in Florida next month. But what a bonanza for the rest of the divers, who might finally get to win something with the dominant Chinese not in attendance.
Related: China divers finish World Series on top
Guo Jingjing image: Ent.wuhan.net
Tags: diving, Guo Jingjing, swine flu
WNBA picks up two Chinese players
Wednesday, 29th April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Miao Lijie (left) and Chen Nan at a press conference in China
Chen, the 2009 MVP of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, has a two-season deal with the Sky. She will play behind Sylvia Fowles, a dominant center in the league and like Chen, a 2008 Olympian. Chen, 26, averaged 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game during the Olympics. Terms of the contract were not released.
(Check out game tape of Chen here. She's No. 15)
"Her addition will add to the overall height and size of our front court, which we need to challenge the best in the WNBA," said Chicago Sky coach and GM Steven Key. "Her ability to shoot from the outside as well as drive to the basket is exceptional for a player of her size." Chen will arrive in Chicago in early May, and the Sky open the season at Minnesota June 6.
Miao, 28, is getting her second shot at the league. She and Sui Feifei (forward) both signed with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005. The team went on to win the WNBA championship, but Miao and Sui barely got off the bench. Playing in the United States seemed to serve Miao's game well. She was the X factor in China's upset of the U.S. women in a pre-Olympic tournament, She averaged 18 points per game during the Olympics, including a 28-point performance against Belarus that put her team into the semifinals.
When Miao and Sui were first signed back in 2005, Chinese national team head coach Gong Luming said the chance to play in the WNBA should help their game, but expressed skepticism about their ability to adapt to life in America, saying: "Our players are much like the birds raised in the cage as they get everything they need from China. But they won't have anyone to rely on in the United States, and they will be forced to deal with all matters in their daily life and the high-intensity matches alone." (Sohu.com)
When it looked like she would get another shot at the WNBA in 2007, Miao cited the language barrier as a major impediment to success in the league. "My English has improved a lot since last time (in 2005), but it is still a little bit tough for me to understand what the coach says," she said, according to China Daily. "Besides the games, I will try to learn more English." I don't know where exactly she was playing on the floor with the Monarchs, but Miao is at her best when running the point for Team China--and there's no position where it's more important for a player to understand her coach.
Zheng Haixia, a 6-foot-9 center, was the first Chinese player in the WNBA. She averaged 9 points and 4.4 rebounds over two seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks (1997 and 1998), and won the league's Sportsmanship Award in her rookie season.
Related links:
Zheng Haixia on WNBA.com
Miao Lijie on WNBA.com
Sui Feifei on WNBA.com
Sina.com coverage of Miao/Chen news (in Chinese)
Image of Miao and Chen: Sina.com
Tags: basketball, Chicago Sky, Miao Lijie, Sacramento Monarchs, Sui Feifei, WCBA, WNBA, Zheng Haixia