Racking my brain to try to come up with an American athlete who has ever garnered the kind of attention that Liu Xiang, China's 110-meter hurdlers star, will have to contend with in China over the next year...and I just can't think of one. We've had larger-than-life superstars for sure: Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong come to mind immediately. But in a country of so many millions of people, in a national sports program that produces so many fine athletes, one athlete has become the focal point on which all of China, it seems, will measure its self-esteem by next summer.
The China Daily reported this week that Liu Xiang has now started his winter training 'in seclusion' so as to minimize outside distractions as he prepares for the race of his lifetime, and the marquee race of the Beijing Olympics. Part of me is excited that track and field is once again teeing up to be the sport everyone wants to watch at the Olympics, especially after the pain of the BALCO scandal and the resulting revelations of drug cheats in the sport, including, of course, Marion Jones. And part of me feels that the pressure being placed on Liu Xiang is simply inhuman.
As the next few months progress I'll have more to say about Liu Xiang's progress and the cultural and sporting moment we're witnessing in China as he prepares to compete yet again in a sport that no Asian man - and no Chinese of either gender - has ever succeeded in to the extent that he has. A spectator at the rhythmic gymnastics Olympic test event in early December said to me "Liu Xiang is no longer just the most important athlete in China. He's the most important athlete in all of Asia," and that sentiment was agreed to by several others I spoke with while in Beijing. Will he or won't he repeat as Olympic gold medalist and become the everlasting face of the Beijing Olympics? The Chinese sports pages live and breathe with that question now, and the pressure will only get more and more intense as the days to Beijing continue to count down.
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The part of you that feels the pressure being placed upon Liu Xiang is inhuman needs to be medically exam ed. It's just a guy jumping over obstacles,that's it. The kind of pressure that's inhuman is a single mom trying to raise three kids by herself or whats going on in the Sudan. Surely you realize thats theres hundreds of thousands of people living below the poverty line in China would could give a damn about Liu Xiang. The only people feeling pressure are Liu,his coach, family and the Communist "suits" hoping to stick one to the U.S.A. in an Olympic track and field event. Besides not athlete is probably more popular thus feeling more pressure than Yao Ming,
SleepyHollows
Miami , FL
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Really excellent blog! The human interest aspect of sports is really the most compelling feature in a field where there are too many people writing about stats and records. This reportage is totally superior.
200motels
New York , NY
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@Sleepy H: I think you are wrong in judging that the patriotic wave expecting Liu to perform has anything to do with rich or poor. I have met some very poor people in China, but I have not met anyone yet who would not be excited about this runner being able to beat the world's rest in a key sports. And this is also the difference to Yao Ming: He may be the more well-known person in a more popular sport. He has, however, no chance to take the crown in the tournament, because his team is not up to standard. I agree with you that the pressure is basically Liu Xiang's problem - him being the one to reap the benefits, he has to stand it or leave it. But that has nothing to do with the public seeing a national symbol in him way beyond sports.
ThoHa
New York , NY
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Not to offend the Chinese people but
personally i think it was such a "great performance" by both Liu and his team.
everyone should see it was coming.
Welcome to the worst side of chinese communists. money, power and control.
I hope you guys look deeper... it has been a well-crafted act. liu should have had dropped out before the heat but there were so much money, pride involved. so there it went on display for everyone the "great performance".
Of course most people are caught in The sensationalism of the "drama"
WAKE UP people...
The real victims are Liu himself, the Chinese people and the world.
i don't want to politicize this episode. but it is part of the communist game plan...
it's hiding right behind Chinese nationalism..
PS: i lived under the communist regime before so i know the system. DON'T ever believe in them. Watch what they do. (these statements are applied to ALL communist regimes around the world --- ex: russian current episode in georgia..
coviet
Houston , TX
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