It was a heartbreaking moment for Liu Xiang and the audience. On
August 18, 2008, under a hazy Beijing sky, the Chinese megastar was
supposed to cruise to victory in heat six of the 110m hurdles’ first
round.
His competitors were uninspiring — the man with the second fastest personal best, after Liu’s 12.88 sec., was a Dutchman who had clocked 13.35 sec. This was going to be his moment of glory. Winning a Beijing gold medal was China’s foremost wish, according to a nationwide poll conducted before the Games.
Liu had stunned the Athens Olympics in 2004 by winning gold, the first time ever for China in the hurdles. The hopes of China’s 1.3billion people rested on Liu’s dodgy Achilles tendon. Liu entered the stadium amidst a sea of Chinese flags. The Bird’s Nest thrummed with expectation. But when the starting gun went off, Liu was missing. Minutes earlier, during a warm-up set of hurdles, Liu had grabbed his right leg, wincing in pain. The 25-year-old returned to the starting blocks, his face clenched in a grimace.
The 91,000-strong crowd, which had gathered at the stadium to watch their beloved athlete, couldn’t bear to see Liu’s contorted facial expression, so his fans continued to wave their national flags. Then, a false start. Liu took a few brave steps, but his leg seemed to crumple. Instead of returning to the blocks for another try, he slowly limped off the track. The TV cameras, which had nosed their way into the face of many a disgraced, disappointed athlete, kept a respectful distance.
As a nation waited, Liu, icon of the Beijing Olympics and face of countless advertising billboards, sat backstage rubbing his leg.
China’s response was shock and then loathing. He turned from a hero to zero in minutes. “He is a dog”, “He is a fake”, “He is scared”, “I hate him” were some of the comments posted on Baidu, one of the main online forums.
Out of the deluge of critical remarks, China’s propaganda minions deleted the most offensive ones. “His Achilles tendon on the right foot was seriously hurt again before the race,” a tearful coach Sun Haiping said at a post-race press conference where Liu could not show up.
His competitors were uninspiring — the man with the second fastest personal best, after Liu’s 12.88 sec., was a Dutchman who had clocked 13.35 sec. This was going to be his moment of glory. Winning a Beijing gold medal was China’s foremost wish, according to a nationwide poll conducted before the Games.
Liu had stunned the Athens Olympics in 2004 by winning gold, the first time ever for China in the hurdles. The hopes of China’s 1.3billion people rested on Liu’s dodgy Achilles tendon. Liu entered the stadium amidst a sea of Chinese flags. The Bird’s Nest thrummed with expectation. But when the starting gun went off, Liu was missing. Minutes earlier, during a warm-up set of hurdles, Liu had grabbed his right leg, wincing in pain. The 25-year-old returned to the starting blocks, his face clenched in a grimace.
The 91,000-strong crowd, which had gathered at the stadium to watch their beloved athlete, couldn’t bear to see Liu’s contorted facial expression, so his fans continued to wave their national flags. Then, a false start. Liu took a few brave steps, but his leg seemed to crumple. Instead of returning to the blocks for another try, he slowly limped off the track. The TV cameras, which had nosed their way into the face of many a disgraced, disappointed athlete, kept a respectful distance.
As a nation waited, Liu, icon of the Beijing Olympics and face of countless advertising billboards, sat backstage rubbing his leg.
China’s response was shock and then loathing. He turned from a hero to zero in minutes. “He is a dog”, “He is a fake”, “He is scared”, “I hate him” were some of the comments posted on Baidu, one of the main online forums.
Out of the deluge of critical remarks, China’s propaganda minions deleted the most offensive ones. “His Achilles tendon on the right foot was seriously hurt again before the race,” a tearful coach Sun Haiping said at a post-race press conference where Liu could not show up.
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