Qinzhou, China, October 1, 2018 – Former world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Xue Chen decided to come back to beach volleyball after a one-year absence and is eager to conquer challenges ahead.
“I haven’t played in the World Tour in a year and I just started last month,” Xue said. “So this is my third tournament.
“It’s a fresh beginning and I just changed from being a blocker to a defender. It’s an advantage and a challenge for me and my partner.”
The Fuzhou native explained that her absence was dedicated to finishing her degree in sports training at Nanjing University and now that she has accomplished that goal, she is ready to get back on the sand court.
“I was away because I had to finish my university degree. I am finally finished,” Xue exclaimed.
The 29-year-old started her new quest with Wang Fan last month, finishing with silver medals at the Zhongwei 2-star and at the Asian Championship last month. They opened their main draw campaign at the Qinzhou 3-star with a straight-set win against Ukraine’s Diana Lunina and Maryna Samoday.
“We just finished playing at the Asian Championship and we got here the two nights ago. We only have one day to get used to the wind in Qinzhou, so we are not quite satisfied with the results of our first match.”
Xue and Wang are focused on finishing with a good result on home soil and will do their best to help each other.
“We will focus on every ball and get every point,” Xue said. “My job is to help her as much as I can and for her to help me as much as she can.”
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