SPORTSCHINA 22 THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2007 DAILY

Jonas Kazlauskas Jim Lefebvre

Sport: Basketball Sport: Baseball Nation: Lithuania Foreign coaches Nation: United States With international The former Major calibre players like Yao League Baseball (MLB) Ming and the talented player and manager, Yi Jianlian, the pressure 63, was assigned in is on Kazlauskas to build 2002 by the MLB to help a medal-winning team in China improve its baseball time for the 2008 on hand to guide level and win a medal at the Olympics. 2008 Beijing Games. Kazlauskas, 52, joined the After China slumped at a club team tourna- team in 2004 as assistant to veteran NBA coach ment in Japan, the under-fi re coach did not show up Del Harris. They reached the last eight at in Doha, where China was crushed by Asia’s top trio of Olympics, but since then progress has been diffi cult Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei, settling for a as Kazlauskas has sought to fi nd the winning blend. familiar fourth place. While Yao, Yi and former NBA player Wang Zhizhi 2008 gold rush Speaking after the Tokyo debacle, where the team form a solid front court, the back court has been were heavily beaten by club sides from Japan, South more of a problem. Korea and Chinese Taipei, a frustrated Lefebvre rounded The team reached the last 16 of the World Cham- who are notorious for losing control, mentally and tacti- on his players, accusing them of being lazy: “They think pionships in Japan in September, when they lost to With Games approaching cally, in big matches. an Asian cannot get strong. They just think they are eventual runners-up Greece. The team underlined “I have discovered that our team has talented players weak. Getting strong is easy if you are willing to work their regional dominance by winning the Asian Games fast, pressure is rising to with a lot of potential,” said the 60-year-old Serbian, who hard.” in Doha in December, a performance that pleased the is expected to lead the under-23 squad into the semifi nals coach: “The team started playing defense and realised score success in every event at the Beijing Games. that defense is very important and that it can bring us In comparison, Ma Liangxing’s women’s team fared less Christian Bauer to another level.” By Chen Xiangfeng well, losing to Japan in the group and getting eliminated Kazlauskas is a controversial fi gure, and his criti- in the semifi nals. Sport: Fencing cism of his players has drawn a backlash from the fans. Ma’s slumping prestige opened the door for German Nation: France During the Asian Games he accused Yi Jianlian of “not A group of foreign coaches are hoping to up China’s sport- Krautzun Eckhard, the former Chinese U20 head coach, showing his talent on the court”, and said his team as ing level and help the athletes strike gold at the Beijing who has just been appointed as women’s football adviser. Bauer was a whole “was not tough enough”. 2008 . The football governing body is anxious to see the women invited to instruct For the fi rst time in the nation’s history, there are more regain their position as a dominant force and win a medal China’s sabre team than a dozen overseas coaches guiding teams from all in 2008. in August. Success Tom Maher sporting spheres. It is believed if Ma is unable to get the team to a convinc- came straight away, “With the rapid development of the economy China has ing level soon, he will be replaced by Eckhard. as China swept gold Sport: Basketball become more international and open in many ways. It is at the Doha Asian Nation: Australia the same in sport. It is common to hire quality foreign A tale of two Kims Games. coaches,” said Xiao Tian, deputy director of the State China’s fi eld hockey teams are both spearheaded by Bauer, 55, was a Maher, 54, the General Administration of Sport. South Korean coaches and are heading in the right direc- world champion fencer and first foreign coach Basketball and football are the most popular sports, but tion as 2008 approaches. used to coach the French national and youth teams. of the country’s they also need to advance the most to reach international Kim Chang-back helped the women’s team successfully He helped his students to win a group silver medal in women’s basketball gold standard. defend the Asian Games title while Kim Sang-ryul inspired Sydney 2000 before moving to coach Italy. At 2004 team, was hired in Under the helm of Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlaus- the men to a historic second-place fi nish in Doha, losing Athens Games, he led the Italian sabres to a gold. 2004 to turn round kas and Australian coach Thomas Maher respectively, the to his home country South Korea 1-3. Chinese hopes suffered a blow when men’s foil the fortunes of a team men’s and women’s basketball teams have their eyes on The two Koreans’ tough training methods have sparked and women’s epee were struck off the Olympic roster, that had gone from silver podium fi nishes in 2008 after dominant performances at criticism, but their achievements have silenced the doubt- so now hopes rest on Bauer’s fast-improving sabres to medal heroes in Barcelona the Doha Asian Games in December. ers and won the respect of the players. secure medals on home soil. 1992, to zeroes. In Doha, without NBA superstar “Before the match and at the end of With talented young players including WNBA stars Yao Ming, Kazlauskas relied on the re- the match, I am Korean. They (Korean Sui Feifei and Miao Lijie, and the 1.97 meter super cen- turning Wang Zhizhi and the nation’s With the rapid players and coaches) are my students tre Chen Nan, Maher believes his team’s inside attack top NBA prospect Yi Jianlian to win and also my friends. But during the Sebastien Dulcus can be a deadly weapon against international power- their sixth gold at the competition. development of match, they are my opponents,” said houses like the United States. Kazlauskas and his staff now the economy China Sang-ryul. “My duty is to coach. I try Sport: Cycling Maher came into the job with a proven track record: switch their focus to the 2008 to beat every team. It is the same.” Nation: France he coached seven championship winning teams in the Olympics in Beijing and how best to has become more Chang-back’s women’s team is Australian domestic league, and took Australia to an integrate Yao into the team without international and open under even more pressure as expec- Sebastien Dulcus is the man charged with lighting Olympic bronze in Atlanta and silver in Sydney. He has breaking the growing partnership tations are high. up China’s dimmed Olympic cycling dream. also worked as a head coach in the US WNBA league. between Wang and Yi. in many ways. It is “The Asian Games gold is very The abrupt remove of the women’s 500 metre time His first tournament was a bust, as China A top four or podium finish is the same in sport. It is important to us. We know the coach trial from the Beijing Games ( Jiang Yonghua won a silver crumbled to a worst-ever 12th place at the World more achievable for the women than common to hire quality is under pressure and sometimes at Athens in the event) appeared to end the team’s Championships in Brazil last September. But the the men. under fi re. We hope the gold medal gold hopes. But Dulcus guided prodigy Guo Shuang to youthful make up of the team means Maher is still “I have a realistic hope that we can foreign coaches. will make him stay with us,” said a podium fi nish in the Individual Pursuit at the World confi dent of success. be in the fi nal four. We are not far XIAO TIAN player Ren Ye. Championships last year, as well as two gold medals Of his aims for the next 12 months: “I have a real- behind the top eight,” Maher said af- Deputy director of the State General Other foreign coaches earning at the Doha Asian Games. istic hope that we can be in the fi nal four. We are not ter China, the defending champions, Administration of Sport success in China include Frenchman far behind the top eight.” beat Chinese Taipei 90-59 to win their Sebastien Dulcus, who guided young fourth Asian title. women’s cyclist Guo Shuang to two For the Australian mentor, who was golds in Doha. Josef Capousek hired as China coach after their disappointing ninth-place Under his guidance, Guo has made signifi cant progress Ratomir Dujkovic fi nish at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the Asian Games was over the past two years, collecting two national titles in Sport: Canoeing just “part of the journey to Beijing”. half a year and winning two gold medals in the World Nation: Germany Sport: Soccer “If we didn’t win this tournament it would have been a Cup series. Nation: Serbia total failure. We have another two years and we need that “I have been training Guo in Switzerland over the past German canoe- because we are not ready for a medal yet,” Maher said. four months and I know her tactics well. She is such a ing coaching great Dujkovic, 60, is a “We can improve in many ways,” Maher said. talented girl, and an expert in sprinting,” said Dulcus. Capousek headed to journeyman interna- The sport’s governing body is happy with the perfor- “Winning a medal for the motherland is every cyclist’s China with great de- tional coach in the mance of the two coaches. dream.” termination, spelling out same vein as compa- “Basically we see them as being ambitious, having al- “The coach changed me a lot. I have been improving all his intention to help the triot Bora Milutinovic, most no other hobby but basketball. They are serious and the time,” said 20-year-old Guo, who has been tipped as a team win more than one who guided China to strict with the team, they are medal contender in Beijing. gold at the Beijing Games. the World Cup Finals clear on world basketball “Apart from technical skills, he also helps me a lot in At the Athens Olympics in 2002. The task facing trends and we appreci- life. He is like an older brother and a good friend. I’ve Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun won the country’s Dujkovic is immense, as China ate their abilities on the also begun to learn French from him!” fi rst gold medal, in the men’s C2 500m event, but the have performed poorly since 2002, failing court,” said Hu Jiashi, added pressure doesn’t worry Capousek at all. His pro- to qualify for the World Cup in 2006 and sliding down deputy director of the fessional achievements to date are unprecedented: A the world rankings. Basketball Administra- Members of China’s team 13-year stint as head coach of the German national But Olympic soccer is a different ball game, with tive Centre. throw their coach Kim team saw 17 Olympic golds, eight silvers and four age restrictions an advantage for teams like China who Chang-back into the air bronzes. are strong at youth level. Soccer style after the medal presenta- Capousek’s high-profi le appointment had an instant At the Doha Asian Games, the team played a China men’s Olympic soccer tion ceremony for the impact on China’s canoeists – they won one silver and refreshing, attacking style, showing determination team failed to reach the quarter- women’s gold medal three bronzes at the World Championships and six and motivation to win all three group games. They fi nals in Doha, but veteran Ratomir hockey match at the 15th golds and 13 silvers at the World Cup series. They also eventually lost to Asian powerhouse Iran, fi ghting hard Dujkovic’s won plaudits from home Asian Games in Doha on notched a dominant six golds at the Doha Games. when down to 10-men before suffering heartbreak in fans appreciative of his tactics. December 13. Kim is seen “Take a look at our results. You’ll fi nd everyone is a penalty shoot-out. Taking over the job two months as one of the most success- able to win gold,” he said. Dujkovic coached Ghana to the last 16 of the 2006 ago, Dujkovic has been focusing on ful foreign coaches in China. World Cup in Germany, and he has also coached Ven- relieving the pressure on his players, Reuters ezuela, Myanmar and Rwanda. His aim now is a medal in 2008: “It’s a great chal- Igor Grinko lenge because I have an opportunity to bring something to the country. In every country I have worked, I have Sport: Rowing moved the team between 25 and 30 places up the Nation: Lithuania rankings.” China’s rowing team is familiar with foreign coaches – they hired Polish-American Kris Korzeniowski in 1993, and he coached the team to gold medals at the fol- Kim Chang-back lowing World Championships. Grinko, a close friend of Korzeniowski, is the former US and Soviet Union Olympic Sport: Field Hockey rowing team coach. He helped China win three golds Nation: South Korea and a silver at the World Rowing Championships in August, their best ever results. Kim, 51, has been Having coached dozens of medal boats in more heralded as one of than ten Summer Olympics, Grinko, 60, is optimistic he the most successful can help China win its fi rst rowing gold in 2008. foreign coaches in China after lifting the nation’s women’s fi eld Masayo Imura hockey players from ob- scurity to world acclaim. Kim Sang-ryul Michael Bastian Sport: Synchronized Swimming He led the South Korean Sport: Field Hockey Sport: Softball Nation: Japan women’s team to a string of successes in the early Nation: South Korea Nation: United States 1990s, and his impact on the Chinese team after his Imura, 55, is the latest foreign coach to sign up to help 1999 appointment was instant. Another Korean, another Bastian began coaching China’s women’s softball team in early China’s 2008 Olympic efforts. She will coach the nation’s From nowhere the team grabbed 5th place at the miracle? Kim Sang-ryul, 51, 2006, but a fourth-placed fi nish at the World Championships in Sep- synchronized swimming team, a move that caused a stir 2000 Sydney Olympics, and they then took gold at the is hoping to perform a similar tember and a bronze medal in Doha have been modest returns. back in Japan, a traditional power in the sport. 2002 Busan Asian Games. They won the Champions trick to Kim Chang-back, turning Bastian, 44, is trying to fi nd a winning balance of power hits Japanese fears look justifi ed, as the team has already Trophy in the same year, and fi nished 4th at the 2004 the men’s fi eld hockey team from and short plays. In Doha, they proved their hitting ability with a begun to improve. They beat Japan into second Athens Olympics. nobodies into world beaters. First im- basket of homers but their defense was a mess, causing them to place in duet and team synchro- The team’s fortunes slipped as Kim sought to pressions look good: The team went into the lose to Chinese Taipei in the semifi nals. nized swimming at the Doha rebuild after Athens, culminating in an embarrass- Doha Asian Games as underdogs, but upset big names including This defeat has put his future in doubt, and he will have to Asian Games, the fi rst time ing 10th place fi nish at the World Cup this year. But India and Pakistan to reach their fi rst-ever fi nal. wait until later this month to fi nd out if he will coach the team this has happened. with calls for his resignation ringing in his ears, the They lost out 3-1 to favorites South Korea, but the message through to 2008. Imura has guided Ja- team bounced back to win the Asian Games in Doha is clear: this team can and will be competitive in time for Beijing Speaking after the World Championships, Bastian said his pan to podium fi nishes in in December. 2008. players needed to lighten up: “They are the most hard-working each of the last six Olym- “So far Kim has done an excellent job and accom- “In the past two years, he has led us to achieve results we and unselfi sh people in the world, but they need to have more pic Games. She will take plished almost everything he promised to the team,” thought were impossible. I hope he can stay with us longer,” said fun. That’s the reason I try to persuade them to hug me. I hope I the Chinese to the World said the sport’s chief Hu Jianguo. team captain Song Yi. can bring happiness to them like a Teddy Bear.” Championships in spring.