Wu
Dan (CHN) |
 A young Wu Dan saw
China's Golden Age in the mid 1980s as a reserve player.
Nevertheless, she learned a lot from her great teammates, and used
that knowledge to excell on her own.
Wu Dan had been on the Chinese reserve when they won the 85 Gala Matches and the 86 World Championships. Though she played briefly in the 85 Gala Match (back then she used to serve overhand), Wu Dan's first major contribution as a starter was at the Seoul Olympics. She was outstanding playing opposite the great Yang Xilan, hitting stacks (2-balls behind a middle-hitters quick 1-ball) and slides à la Zheng Meizhu. In Seoul, Wu Dan was the perfect piece to fit the puzzle of the Chinese team—she was as quick, as complete, as smart, and as persistent as any of the players from the Golden Years of Chinese Volleyball. But victory eluded them in 1988 because other teams had brought out equally good levels from within.  Keep your eyes closed: at the Barcelona Olympics, Wu Dan had very little to cheer about; what with the scandal... After the bronze medal from Seoul, Wu Dan stayed with the
national team alongside Li Yueming
and saw the transition from the effective Chinese machine of the
early 80s to a crumbling programme in 1993. In the 1990 World's in
China, she was a starter opposite Su Huijuan, who like her, had been
a reserve during China's golden years. Both players had witnessed
the awesome quality of volleyball that China had brandished during
the first half of the decade, and they both used that knowledge to
their advantage. Wu Dan was very solid in 1990, but began to wane
in effectiveness soon after that. Disaster befell her in Barcelona
when
she was caught for using illegal stimulants, which the Chinese
federation claimed was a traditional herbal remedy. Her team did
not improve things in the eyes of the world, losing most of their
matches and ending last in their pool. Barcelona marked the
beginning of the malfunctioning of the Chinese programme.  Wu Dan at the Seoul Olympics. She was both joyful and serious, but always persistent and never a quitter.
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Recent news: Wu Dan is back on the
National Team! She was playing for clubs in Europe, acting as the
libero, and now she was called back into the team by head coach Hu
Jin. She recently participated in the Olympic Qualifier in Tokyo,
where China qualified for the Sydney Olympics. So, at least for the
time being, Wu Dan is back. Let's hope she can redeem her
performance from Barcelona by showing us a little bit of Seoul !