Liu Xiang, carrying the expectation of 1.3 billion Chinese, took an early exit from the Games today at 11.54am (Beijing local time). He appeared to be suffering from immense pain as he struggled to warm-up and take place at his block. But after a false start at the hurdles, he headed straight off-field, to everyone’s surprise, drawing an end to his Olympic campaign on home soil. It was a sad moment for Bird’s Nest and its 91,000 spectators, as well as billions more watching the event live, at work, at school and at home. Liu became China’s greatest pride when he unexpectedly took China’s first gold on the track at Athens four years ago. Yet, today, Chinese nationals embrace each other with disbelief and in tears. Despite China’s 35 gold medals, leading the US by far, Liu’s retreat come as a heart-blow shock to the host nation.
Olympics: Defending champion Liu Xiang pulls out of 110m hurdles
· Injury forces Chinese favourite out before his first-round heat
· Cuba’s Dayron Robles now favourite for gold
- guardian.co.uk,
- Monday August 18 2008 05:23 BST
- Article history
This morning China’s Olympic Games lost its biggest star when Liu Xiang, the Olympic 110m hurdle champion and a Chinese national icon, pulled up injured before he had even reached the first hurdle of the opening round of his title defence.
His withdrawal shocked the 90,000 strong crowd into silence. The Bird’s Nest Stadium was filled to capacity in anticipation of Xiang’s race, and across China his many fans are struggling to process the news.
Xiang had suffered a hamstring injury in May, causing him to withdraw from the New York grand prix. It was a new injury that troubled him today though, a combination of damage to the achilles tendon of his right leg and a bone spur on his ankle. Xiang’s right foot is his take-off foot, meaning the ankle joint comes under enormous pressure.
His coach, Sun Haiping, said that the tendon problems had plagued Xiang for “six or seven years, even before he won gold at Athens 2004″. The problem flared up again in training last Saturday, and despite the best efforts of the team and their extensive medical support staff, it could not be cured in time for today’s race.
“When he was in the warm-up area for the race the problem suddenly intensified again, but despite the pain he still exercised fully,” commented the head coach of China’s athletics team, Feng Shuyong, “After more treatment he decided to enter the first round.”
Xiang’s heat was the final race of the morning session. After the gun went, the hurdlers were recalled for a false start. Xiang had already pulled up and, instead of returning to his blocks, he limped off the track.
“We have had three doctors working on Liu’s injury,” Haiping said shortly before he broke down in tears at his press conference, “but no matter what they did nothing could help.”
With the Chinese population certain to be furious in their frustration, Shuyong was keen to emphasise just how much pain Xiang was in. “Liu would never withdraw from a race unless the pain was intolerable, unless he had no other way out. He came into the event with the strongest possible will, and was determined to compete.
“It is a very hard moment for all of us. I have just spoken to Liu outside and he is very depressed. I watched as he was being given a massage on the damaged area last weekend, and he was shivering due to the great pain.”
Asked why he had not made the news of Xiang’s injury public knowledge, Shuyong insisted that the story had appeared in several Sunday newspapers. He added that “after the treatment we didn’t realise how serious the injury was, so we didn’t want to tell people he couldn’t compete.” That defence seemed to contradict his earlier observations about the extent of Xiang’s agony.
It seems likely that it was a combination of Xiang’s own determination and pressure from those around him that led him to appear on the start line at all. When he won the 110m hurdles in Athens he became China’s first ever male gold medallist on the track, and since then he has become a national hero. His face appears on billboards across China, and the public expectation for him to win again was huge.
“Of course the pressure on him was huge,” Shuyong stated, “he doesn’t go out often but when he does he sees his face everywhere. But he has always said that you do not compete against everyone else, you only compete against yourself. He has unique mental strength.”
Today Xiang’s body did get better of him. Shuyong stated that he does not believe Xiang will run again this season, but fully expects him to appear again next year. That will be small consolation for the distraught Chinese public. Xiang’s confrontation with Cuban world record holder Dayron Robles was due to be one of the gala events of the entire Games, but with Xiang out of the competition interest in the athletic contests is likely to wane significantly.
The above report is from The Guardian. It is interesting to note that the author failed to recognise that Chinese names put surname first and first names last. I think the author’s intention was to refer to Liu Xiang and the head coach by their surnames, but ended up calling them respectively Xiang and Shuyong, sounding as though he knew them well in person. This is like referring to Ronaldo as Luis and Phelps as Michael.
It is a sad day for Liu Xiang and Chinese people all over the world, but I can’t help pointing out the strange way of addressing Chinese athletes eminent in this report that seems to make fun of Liu’s early exit, yet exhibits such warmth in addressing him by his single character first name, Xiang (which I’m sure only his family, friends, future girlfriend and wife would use, if they ever choose to).
I can’t help feeling disappointed when I learnt of Liu Xiang’s early exit. I feel very sorry for this great athlete and appreciate very much what he has achieved. But I think it is a great misjudgement to not reveal news of his injury earlier, as media propaganda has led most people to believe that Liu Xiang has a good chance in the 100m hurdles finals. Many people bought scalped tickets costing up to 80,000 RMB to watch him in the finals. Hardly anyone had the faintest clue that he might not even make through the heats. Or if people did have some ideas about the extent of his injury, their knowledge was not made public. I think most of the loathing that has blossomed on the web ever since the news broke out results from the huge difference between the high level of expectation pre-game and such an unexpected outcome. The general feeling appears to be that, if Liu Xiang’s injury prevents him from having any chance of hurdling properly at all, he should have either withdrawn beforehand, or persist to the end if he does choose to continue with the competition.
My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish.
This famous quote by Tanzania’s Akhwari, last place finisher in the marathon at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, is frequently quoted by Chinese netizens in their frustration towards Liu’s pullout. Akhwari finished one hour later than the winner of the race, bandaged and bloody from injury when he crossed the finish line.
Perhaps Liu’s injury was serious enough that he probabaly struggled to walk, and perhaps he felt that he has disappointed his nation and could no longer face the crowd. He is not Akhwari, and Akhwari can never be him. And Akhwari certainly had not the pressure that’s been plaguing Liu for the past four years, nor the grief that he new suffers on his home ground. Liu’s shock exit today contrasted to all that positive media chanting before the Games would perhaps subject him to controversy and loathe for a long time to come. But finally, people are waking up to the fact that Liu Xiang is not God, he is as human as every single one of us.
