Death of a dream

Last Modified: 18 Aug 2008
By: Guest blogger

A twist of fate for the Olympic champion puts him out of China's Games, writes Danny Vincent.

The news that Liu Xiang will not run to defend his medal in the 110m hurdles will devastate millions in China. The Olympic champion pulled out of a heat race when another athlete false started and complained that his long term ankle injury was the reason he would not compete.

Before the Bird's Nest was even finished, people dreamed of Liu Xiang stepping up to the podium to take gold. Before the opening ceremony they talked of him lighting the flame.

Now the strides that he took before he even reached the first hurdle in his first race will be the defining moments in the National Stadium in front of his home crowd.

It will be hard to accept. He was the number one track medal hope for the nation. He is incredibly famous throughout the land, but unlike the NBA basketball player Yao Ming, he is less known internationally.

His victory in 110m hurdles could have been his coming out party as well as China's. It was a dream that was harbored by many since Athens in 2004 when he famously said he was the only Asian man to beat the Americans and Europeans.

In the Bird's Nest the night that Usain Bolt smashed the world record, it was like his race had cleared the sky. The moon shone bright in Beijing that night and you could see stars which are rare in Beijing's sky.

Even an Olympic as political as this one, it reminded the world that the events inside the stadium could be as exciting as those outside.

It was the ticket that scalpers were making the biggest mark up on in the city.

The crowd went wild when Bolt won. But most I know would have swapped the tickets for a Liu Xiang final. It was the ticket that scalpers were making the biggest mark up on in the city.

His coach Feng Shuyong cried during a national press conference today broadcast on CCTV. "He couldn't imagine the pain he was suffering" he said. "Let me repeat: Liu Xiang will not withdraw unless the pain is unbearable." It was no secret that the 25 year old was under immense pressure to perform. He has been in exile since May this year preparing for the race of his life.

Even adverts on TV in China show him running in slow motion alone on a track. He must have got used to running against the clock and not competitors.

Of all the promises that China would have liked to have kept during the Games, this one seemed pretty high. It was 4 years in the making and a few strides that ended it.

But there are suggestions that the pressure got the better of him by my colleagues. "Maybe it would be better this way than if he did not win a medal" one tells me. Cuba's Dayron Robles has been expected to take Olympic gold. After the press conference, a de-saturated montage of the runner played to soft piano keys. In the eyes of the state media at least, he is still the people's champion.