Beach volleyball professional player Kelly Cheng isn’t letting bad weather prevent her from going for gold at the Paris Olympics this summer. Cheng, 28, shared a video of herself wearing black leggings and a white shirt, playing volleyball inside with teammate Sara Hughes, both girls wearing knee pads. “We got lost looking for the beach volleyball courts in the rain….found knee pads instead 🫣,” she captioned the post. Here’s what Cheng’s wellness routine looks like.
Cheng loves the partnership involved in a successful volleyball team. “I fell in love with outdoor beach volleyball because it’s just you and one other person on the court,” she said on an episode of Wellness + Wisdom. “The chemistry that goes into a partnership is so important. It’s so vital to know that other person both on and off the court.”
Cheng and volleyball partner Sara Hughes have high hopes for Olympic gold. “We have really good chemistry,” Cheng told Olympics.com. “Our styles of play complement each other really well,” she told Olympics.com. “We’re both at the same stages of life and on the same page with a lot of things. And I think that’s just helped us fight hard together and fight for each other on and off the court, which I think is really important.”
Cheng encourages others to embrace what makes them unique. “My love of video games is what makes me ‘me’ and I think everybody’s interests are different and whatever you love, you speak more passionately about, you do better at it, and those are the things that you should advocate for and do,” she said on an episode of Wellness + Wisdom. “Don’t try to be anybody else. If you see somebody else being successful in a field, but it’s not your passion, then don’t try to copy them just because they’re doing it. Do what you love.”
Cheng was diagnosed with SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) when she was 14, and now uses a pulse oximeter for reassurance. “MightySat gives me the data to know what my body needs and what is working for me in training,” she says. “It lets me know when I need more recovery, more hydration or when I need to get to bed earlier.”
Cheng’s husband Jordan is unfazed by the criticism they both faced about him coaching her. “We’re not doing it because it’s easy and comfortable,” Jordan told Volleyball Mag. “I told Kelly, ‘Hey, if I’m going to coach you, it’s because I believe I’m the best fit and I believe I’m one of the best coaches out there and I believe I can help you win a gold medal.’ I’m not going to sabotage my wife’s career, I’m not going to sabotage my own coaching career that I’ve worked really hard on.”