Lang Ping

Lang Ping, (born December 10, 1960, Beijing, China), volleyball player and coach who was the lead spiker on the Chinese national teams that dominated women’s international volleyball in the early 1980s. Known as the “Iron Hammer,” she was revered for her elegant athleticism, fierce spiking, and tactical brilliance.

Lang began playing volleyball as a teenager and joined the national team in 1978. Playing the spiker position, she was a key player on the Chinese team that won the 1981 World Cup championship, China’s first major title in volleyball. The team went on to win the 1982 world championship, the 1984 Olympic title, and the 1985 World Cup championship tournament, of which Lang was named the top player. In her playing career she served as deputy captain, captain, and assistant coach for the national team. She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2002.

After her playing career ended in 1986, Lang coached volleyball in Italy and the United States. She also served three stints (1990, 1995–2000, and 2013– ) as coach of the Chinese women’s national team, guiding it to a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. With the latter victory, she became the first person in volleyball to win an Olympic gold medal as both a player and a coach. Lang also coached (2005–08) the U.S. women’s team, which won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.