BEIJING (China) - China are used to succeeding in the basketball world. That trend continued as they won the first ever FIBA U17 Women's Skills Challenge 2020 in exciting fashion over Poland.

Li Qingyang swells with pride talking about it, not just only about winning the competition but also about the opportunity to represent the country of China.

“I am looking forward to the next opportunity to represent my country! ”- Li Qingyang

"Because of the situation of COVID-19, it was a precious opportunity to attend and win the [U17 Women's Skills Challenge]," Li said.

Aside from having won the title, Li was named the Tissot MVP despite having only just turned 15 years old on September 1.

"But there's still a long way to go to becoming the real MVP."

Nonetheless, whatever humble statement Li makes, she's a real MVP right now at the moment. Success in basketball part of the path that she's been on at a very early age and will continue to pursue.

"My parents were basketball players before," she explained. "But they didn't make it to the national team. They had high expectations for me. They got me to start playing basketball at a young age and true to develop my interests."

As Li grew in love more and more with the game of basketball, she found inspiration in one specific player: Kobe Bryant. She recalls a common Kobe anecdote as an example of why she looks up to the late legend.

During a tour in Shanghai back in 2013, Kobe was asked why he was so successful in which he replied with a question of his own.

"Have you seen Los Angeles at 4 AM? I see it often because that's when I start training."

Li took the quote to heart.

"He persisted like this day after day, and the darkness of 4 AM in Los Angeles never changed," she passionately expressed. "But he gradually changed, as if the light came into his life, turning him from unknown man to a star of great attention."

"Everyone's success has nothing to do with shortcuts, but they can persist in their efforts to the extreme and timely practice , chasing perfection. The basketball court is like a battlefield."

"You can become the leader, a winner, try to be persistent, and try to be strong. I know that there's the kind of persistence Kobe Bryant had."

"That is my goal and the spirit I will always pursue and fortunately I am on the way of that."

Fortunately for Li, she's also had two great mentors to guide her down this path towards her goal. With two Olympic Silver medalists looking after her basketball development, it's no surprise that Li has been able to experience such early success.

"The national players I reach out to a lot are my coaches, coach Liu Jun and coach Li Dongmei," said Li. "When I was 13, I joined the youth national team and was coached by coach Liu from then until now. Coach Li brought me from Chongqing - a local team- to the youth national team. Both of them helped me and taught me a lot."

"As the saying goes, 'An accomplished disciple owes his accomplishment to his or her great teacher'. Even though right now I am not the so called 'accomplished disciple', but those two are the true 'great teachers' who are the distinguished legends in the Chinese basketball history. They won the silver medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics and no one has still been able to surpass that. Their achievements are the beacon of my growth. It's the goal I look forward to achieving, so I strive and make great efforts not to let them down."

"Coach Liu and Coach Li gives me a lot of advice on and off the basketball court. They teach me everything they know about basketball. What surprises me is their expectations on my life and the shaping of my personality, which require me to be serious, independent, self-disciplined and grateful."

There's a bright future ahead for Li. She will have plenty of time to develop and with the support of her parents, inspiration from the Black Mamba, and guidance of Olympians, the U17 Women's Skills Challenge will probably not be the last time fans see her in a China national team uniform.

"I feel great and proud," she said of this experience. "I am looking forward to the next opportunity to represent my country!"

FIBA