Liu Xiang, defending gold medalist, withdraws after injury
As China’s Liu Xiang hobbled away from the men’s 110m hurdles following a foot injury in Monday’s heats, the hopes of the entire nation he represented crashed with him. And questions began to be raised about the Communist regime’s athlete training system and the enormous physical and mental pressure that was hoisted on him.
This was the day the country had been waiting for years—to see their golden boy win at the Olympics. Liu had won the gold medal at the 110m at Athens, and set a world record in 2006. But Liu’s withdrawal, following a tendon problem with his foot, was a disaster. Fans wept in disappointment and symapthy as they heard the news.
Chinese fans weren’t the only ones who wept—Nike executives were probably weeping as well. Nike, who had signed up Liu as a brand ambassador, has spent lavishly on promoting Liu Xiang as China’s hope for the Games, including featuring him on large billboard displays in Beijing as well as on television advertisements.
Liu’s limping out of the 110m hurdles even before it started is also an anti-climatic end to one of the greatest sports myths and hype build-ups in the country. His gold win at the Athens 2004 games made him one of China’s most recognizable stars, and the hype about him and expectations of him were sky-high.
