Zhang Changning

{{short description|Chinese volleyball and beach volleyball player (born 1995)}} {{family name hatnote|Zhang|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox volleyball biography | name = Zhang Changning | nickname = Baby Face (宝宝) | image = 女排联赛中国女排张常宁 (2).jpg | caption = Zhang in 2017 | nationality = Chinese | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|11|6|df=y}} | birth_place = Changzhou, Jiangsu | hometown = Nanjing, Jiangsu | height = 1.95 m | weight = 80 kg | spike = 325 cm | block = 315 cm | position = Outside Spiker<br>Opposite Spiker | currentclub = Jiangsu Zenith Steel | currentnumber = 9 | years1 = 2014– | team1 = Jiangsu Zenith Steel | nationalyears = 2014–2021, 2024 | nationalteam = {{vbw|China}} | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Volleyball}} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} center|80px {{MedalGold|2016 Rio de Janeiro|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|World Championship}} {{MedalBronze|2018 Japan|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|FIVB World Cup}} {{MedalGold| 2019 Japan |Team}} {{MedalGold| 2015 Japan |Team}} {{MedalCompetition|World Grand Champions Cup}} {{MedalGold|2017 Japan|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}} {{MedalSilver|2014 Incheon|}} {{MedalCompetition|Asian Championship}} {{MedalGold|2015 Tianjin|}} {{MedalCompetition|AVC Cup Championship}} {{MedalGold| 2014 Shenzhen |}} {{MedalGold| 2016 Vinh Phuc|}} }} '''Zhang Changning''' ({{lang-zh|s=张常宁|t=張常寧|p =Zhāng Chángníng}}; born 6 November 1995) is a Chinese indoor volleyball and beach volleyball player.<ref>{{cite web|title=Team Roster – China|url=http://worldgrandprix.2015.fivb.com/en/preliminary-round-group1/competition/teams/chn-china/team_roster|work=FIVB.org|access-date=16 February 2016|archive-date=5 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005012442/http://worldgrandprix.2015.fivb.com/en/preliminary-round-group1/competition/teams/chn-china/team_roster|url-status=dead}}</ref> She is a member of China women's national volleyball team. At the club level, she plays for Jiangsu Zenith Steel.

== Personal life == She was born in Changzhou and raised in Nanjing. She is the daughter of Zhang Yousheng, a former player of China men's national volleyball team, and Jiang Hanqiu, a college physical education teacher. Her elder brother Zhang Chen is a current player of China men's national volleyball team. Along with her Jiangsu teammates Hui Ruoqi and Gong Xiangyu, she attended Nanjing Normal University. She married basketball player, Wu Guanxi, on 30 July 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yao Ming: "Keep Your Children in Basketball, not Volleyball"|url=https://www.thenanjinger.com/news/nanjing-news/yao-ming-keep-your-children-in-basketball-not-volleyball/|work=TheNanjinger.com|date=2 August 2022 |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref>

== Beach volleyball == Although she started as an indoor player, she was offered to join the national beach volleyball team in 2009. As a beach volleyball player she teamed with Ji Linjun in 2009, and with Ma Yuanyuan in 2010 and 2011 winning the silver medal at the 2011 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship. Later in 2011 she competed with Ding Jingjing at the Visa FIVB Beach Volleyball International.

== 2013 ban == In early 2013 she decided to switch from beach volleyball to indoor volleyball. She was pressured by national and provincial volleyball bureaus to reconsider her decision. Refusing to return to beach volleyball, she was banned from competition and faced a possible early retirement from her athletic career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.sohu.com/20131126/n390814603.shtml|title=遭"封杀"张常宁首开口 "一定要打室内排球"}}</ref> Due to massive backlash from provincial media, and because of the Jiangsu team's historically low performance in the 2013-2014 season, the ban was lifted on December 29, 2013 and she has since been playing for Jiangsu in the CVL.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.qq.com/a/20160201/015159.htm|title=张常宁排球生涯三道关口曾疑因选择遭封杀}}</ref>

== Indoor volleyball == In 2014, she was promoted by Coach Lang Ping to the national team. She represented China at the 2014 Asian Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.qq.com/a/20141002/025908.htm|title=女排输球仍有一收获亚运帮郎平锻炼了张常宁}}</ref> She was part of the Team China that won gold at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup. She represented China at the 2016 Summer Olympics playing as an outside hitter and an opposite hitter and won the gold medal. She participated at the 2019 Montreux Volley Masters,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.volleymasters.ch/en/competition/teams/chn-china/team_roster|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516202444/http://www.volleymasters.ch/en/competition/teams/chn-china/team_roster|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-05-16|title=Team Roster - China - Montreux Volley Masters 2019|date=2019-05-16}}</ref>

She was voted CVL's MVP and Most Popular Player in the 2015-2016 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/volleyball/2016-02-03/doc-ifxnzanm4092014.shtml|title=张常宁当选女排联赛最受欢迎运动员}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Navboxes |title= China squads | bg = #db000d | fg = #fbea0e |bordercolor= |list1= {{China squad 2015 FIVB Women's World Cup}} {{China women's volleyball squad 2016 Summer Olympics}} {{China Squad 2018 FIVB Women's World Championship}} {{China squad 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Changning}} Category:Sportspeople from Changzhou Category:Volleyball players from Jiangsu Category:Chinese women's volleyball players Category:Olympic gold medalists for China in volleyball Category:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Volleyball players at the 2014 Asian Games Category:Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Category:Asian Games silver medalists for China Category:Chinese women's beach volleyball players Category:1995 births Category:Living people Category:Opposite hitters Category:Outside hitters Category:Volleyball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Volleyball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:21st-century Chinese sportswomen Category:Asian Games silver medalists in volleyball