LIU Xiang Liú Xiáng 刘 翔 B
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◀ LIU Shaoqi Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. LIU Xiang Liú Xiáng 刘 翔 b. 1983 Olympic champion hurdler Champion hurdler Liu Xiang was the first Chi- abandon competition three steps into his opening heat nese man to earn a gold medal in an Olympics for his signature event. track event, winning the 100- meter hurdles at A Shanghai native who began training as a high jumper the 2004 Summer Games. The achievement at age twelve and switched to hurdles at fifteen, Liu Xiang already was a junior record holder in several events and earned him national popularity and global had won gold in the 110- meter hurdles at the World Stu- sponsorship, and made him the embodiment dent Games in Beijing and the East Asian Games in Osaka of China’s dreams for the 2008 Olympics, un- in 2001, and at the Asian Championships in Manila and til a hamstring injury forced him to pull out the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, in 2002. A confi- of competition. dent and stylish performer, Liu expressed astonishment at his winning time in Athens because even in training he’d never finished the event in under 13 seconds. He then went on to break the world record, set thirteen years earlier by iu Xiang was the first Chinese man to win a gold Welshman Colin Jackson, with a time of 12.88 seconds at medal in track at the Olympics, completing the a July 2006 competition in Lausanne, Switzerland— just 110- meter hurdles at the 2004 Summer Games two days shy of his twenty- third birthday. in Athens in 12.91 seconds to match what was then the Liu Xiang has long emulated 1996 Olympian and world record in the event. Already known to insiders four- time world champion Allen Johnson of the United and followers of the sport for his accomplishments as a States, whom he bested for the first time a few months youth champion, he became an immediate public sen- before the Athens Olympics. Liu and Johnson continue sation in China, where media hailed his victory as a re- to vie in the 110 meters, with Liu beating Johnson at the pudiation of China’s “sick man of Asia” legacy and an hallowed Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, in May assertion that “yellow men can run.” His dramatic win 2006, and Johnson beating Liu at the track World Cup also translated to instantaneous marketability, bringing in Athens in September 2006. Overall, Liu had a stellar endorsement deals with Visa, Coca- Cola, Nike, China year in 2006, culminating in a gold medal at the Asian Mobile, and other companies that have made him one Games in Qatar in December. In the first half of 2007 of China’s wealthiest athletes, second only to basketball he won five of six international contests. Liu prides him- player Yao Ming. His celebrity also generated outsized self on having trained entirely in China and has a close expectations for his performance at the 2008 Beijing working relationship with the coach, Sun Haiping, who Olympics— dreams of another gold that were dashed first recognized Liu’s hurdling potential— the two share dramatically when a hamstring injury forced Liu to an apartment at their Shanghai training center. Liu also 1344 © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC L LIU Xiang n Liú Xiáng n 刘翔 1345 has a reputation for independence, carving his own way Shanghai Daily called “a typical Chinese style, cross- field through the Chinese sports system and resisting conven- meritocracy” (Longman, 2008). tions of overtraining. He is known to enjoy karaoke, and In December 2008 Liu underwent surgery on his right his hip youthfulness and sense of fun have played well Achilles’ tendon in Houston. A widely watched Coke with corporate sponsors. One TV ad for Visa showed him commercial on television, featuring Liu and his father, racing kangaroos. In a deal with Amway, reportedly worth helped kick off the Year of the Ox in January 2009. $1.25 million, he represents Nutrilite, a leading global Judy POLUMBAUM brand of vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements. Forbes magazine’s 2007 list of Chinese celebrity rankings put Liu Xiang second in terms of “social influence” after Further Reading Yao Ming and fourth in income; his yearly earnings were Anon. (2005, November 1). Liu Xiang must face academic estimated at $2.5 million. hurdles. Shanghai Daily. Retrieved January 25, 2009, Liu Xiang briefly came under criticism for signing from http://en.bcnq.com/english/doc/2005-11/01/ on as a celebrity spokesman for a Chinese tobacco gi- content_489440.htm ant, Baisha Corporation, and Chinese sports authori- Clarey, C. (2008, August 19). In Games, China is denied ties gave notice that Olympic athletes might have to its signature moment. The New York Times, D-5. refrain from commercial endorsements in the period Fowler, G. A., & Lee, W. (2006, August 8). For spon- leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games. But the threat sors, 2008 Olympics have already begun. Wall Street never materialized. After Liu’s withdrawal several of Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2009, from http:// his main sponsors— including Coca- Cola, Nike, and online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115497609551828920- _ _ Visa— reaffirmed that he would remain an important 8 0kQ0wdMclypje1QdVBBTRL6eM 20060814. html?mod=regionallinks advertising icon, although anticipated appearances in Longman, J. (2008, August 7). High- profile champion post- Olympic celebratory ads were dropped. Meanwhile keeps low profile.The New York Times, D - 3 . his athletic attainments continued to generate privileges, Patrick, D. (2006, May 24). Like countryman Yao, hur- including unusual academic status: Nominally a college dler is finding weight of fame. USA Today. Retrieved student when he won gold in Athens, he subsequently January 25, 2009, from http://www.usatoday.com/ was admitted to a doctoral program in sports studies sports/olympics/summer/track/2006-05-24- beijing- at East China Normal University, evidence of what the hurdles_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip The Long March ▶ © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC.