Taiwanese Volleyball Star Chang Yu-Sheng to Captain Men's Team at Hangzhou Asian Games, Aims for No Regrets

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNA) -- Taiwanese volleyball star Chang Yu-Sheng, who plays professionally in Japan, will shoulder the significant responsibility of captaining the men's national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He hopes to emulate former national team captain Chen Chien-Chen, becoming a stabilizing presence and a veteran leader to guide the Taiwanese men's volleyball team to a performance free of regrets on the Asian Games stage.

The Taiwanese men's volleyball team for this Hangzhou Asian Games will be largely based on the squad that competed in last year's World University Games in the Ruhr area. In addition to being led by 26-year-old star player Chang Yu-Sheng, the team will also feature players with overseas experience, Cai Pei-Chang and Lu Chiang Yao-Kai, to fill in any gaps in the overall lineup. Head coach Huang Hung-Yu has described this as currently Taiwan's strongest combination, setting a goal of reaching the top four. "We hope to at least fight for 4th place, and then strive for the team's best historical achievement of 3rd place."

During a media day interview today, Huang Hung-Yu pointed out that the Taiwanese men's volleyball team recently concluded its participation in the Asian Cup, where they finished in 8th place. However, he believes this experience has greatly helped the players grow. With the addition of three overseas players, led by Chang Yu-Sheng, to the national team's training camp, the team's strength is expected to improve significantly. They will subsequently compete in the East Asian Men's Volleyball Championship and the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship as final preparations for the Asian Games.

Chang Yu-Sheng, who will be taking on the captaincy for Taiwan, stated that in the past, he focused on his own performance to help the team. Now, he has transitioned to being a communication bridge between the players and the coaching staff, which naturally brings greater pressure. However, he hopes to embrace this responsibility to make the Taiwanese men's volleyball team more competitive. He also aspires to follow in the footsteps of former national team captain Chen Chien-Chen, becoming a captain who can stabilize the team's morale and possesses guts. "I'll treat the Asian Games as my last time playing, I don't want to have any regrets."

Approaching his eighth year playing professionally in Japan, Chang Yu-Sheng will be transferring to the Hokkaido Yellow Stars in Japan's SV League for the new season. Notably, he has chosen to wear the number 19 jersey, previously worn by Chen Chien-Chen, which speaks to their close friendship. Some netizens have even jokingly referred to their bond as "Chen Loves Yi Sheng" (a play on their names).

Moved by the Hokkaido Yellow Stars' sincere offer, Chang Yu-Sheng revealed that this might be the most challenging choice in his volleyball career. However, he does not want volleyball to be merely a competitive sport; he also hopes to pass on his passion for volleyball to the next generation and exert influence, adding a different meaning to his personal volleyball career. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 0709

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