Li Yueru: Our Confidence Remains & We’ll Fight to Recover in Upcoming Games—I Also Had My Shortcomings

On July 28, the Chinese Women’s Basketball team suffered a narrow 89-90 overtime loss against Spain in their first match of the Olympic group stage, missing out on a strong start. After the game, players Li Yueru and Yang Liwei spoke to the media. Li Yueru, who delivered an outstanding performance with 31 points and 15 rebounds, said about the match, “It’s a great pity that we lost this game, but we’ll strive to make up for it in the upcoming matches.” Reflecting on her own performance, she added, “Our primary goal is to win. For me, winning is always the top priority. Returning this summer, I hoped to become a core member of the team, contributing more both offensively and defensively. Today, there were some issues. While I scored high, I didn’t do well enough defending key players. I may have been too aggressive, allowing them to break through. I tried my best to adjust. This is where I feel I’ve grown a little, but I want to help the team more and secure victories, which is what truly matters.” Despite the disappointing loss, when asked if the team’s confidence remained intact, Li Yueru affirmed, “Our confidence is still here. We’ll give it our all in the next game.” In her post-game interview, Yang Liwei also addressed the media. Speaking about the reasons behind the loss, she said, “Both teams fought hard until the end. Perhaps we didn’t handle the details well enough. In these types of games, it’s about making fewer mistakes. There are many areas, including rebounding and defense, where I believe we can improve.”