(JIANG KEHONG)

Head coach Wang Baoquan led the Chinese women's volleyball team to its first overseas competition title following his appointment on June 13, when his players beat the U.S. team 3-1 in the final of the 26th edition of the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland.

Wang replaced Cai Bin as head coach of the Chinese team in March. Cai stepped down because of his failure to reverse the downtrend of the Chinese team presently aiming for the Olympic title in London in 2012.

Wang, 49, is famous for his strict, rigorous training. He has set a goal of guiding China into the top four in the World Championships in Japan in October and winning the gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games in November. The latest win in Switzerland shows Wang is making progress in rebuilding the team and instilling a speedy and flexible attacking playing style.

Wang was a member of the Chinese national team from 1989 to 1991. After retiring from competition in 1992 he became involved in coaching. From 1996 to 2001, he was an assistant coach of the Chinese women's national team. During his club coaching career in the following years, Wang took the Tianjin Club to clinching the Chinese women's league champions title in seven of eight years.