6 olympics FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012 DAILY It takes more than gold medals to make a hero By REUTERS lar Twitter-like micro blog, has in jumped by 2.5 million since the start of the Olympics — When fencer Ruben Limar- dwarfi ng even Usain Bolt’s fol- do set off for the London Olym- lowing. pics, he little imagined that he would be cheered through the Gold coins streets of the Venezuelan capi- Four wrestlers and weight- tal Caracas on top of a truck on lifters will have to make do his return, and honored by the with adulation and more president. prosaic rewards for bringing Nor could Shin A-lam have golden glory to Iran in sports known that a tearful, lonely in which the nation has tradi- hour sobbing over the loss tionally excelled. of her bout would make her Th e government has prom- known to millions and put ised each of them 90 gold coins fencing on the map in South and civil service jobs but has Korea. outlawed endorsements as un- Many of London’s medalists Islamic since former Olympic will see success rewarded with weightlifting champion Hos- money and glory in their home sein Rezazadeh appeared in countries, but just as many a commercial that aired on a have won hearts and lift ed spir- banned satellite channel. its with their determination, Winning gold in a sport that dignity or sheer hard luck. your country thinks of as its Limardo’s gold, in individual own is oft en a way to glory. epee, was Venezuela’s fi rst in 44 Th e young, handsome Aron FU TIAN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE years. President Hugo Chavez Szilagyi is already being touted Xiang and Li Guoxiong, a leading adviser on his team, arrive at a London hospital before Liu’s surgery on Thursday. gave him a replica of the sword at home as the heir to a great used by South American inde- lineage of Hungarian fencers. pendence hero Simon Bolivar. , the inventor of judo, is Limardo also charmed Lon- lamenting the fact that its men’s don and beyond by wearing his team will go home without a medal on the capital’s Under- gold for the fi rst time since the ground system, posing for pho- sport was introduced to the Liu plans to return tos with passengers and teach- Olympics in 1964. ing them Venezuelan sports Attention turned instead to chants. Th e US news and gos- Japan’s women’s soccer team. sip site Gawker said a picture Authorities sparked a minor posted online was “the best scandal by giving the women Olympics photo yet”. economy class fl ights to Lon- after Achilles surgery felt a surge of don while the men fl ew busi- sympathy for Shin, who sat in ness class. If the women win tears in a pool of light aft er los- Th ursday’s fi nal, public opinion Injury not as bad as it could have been, reports. ing her semifi nal, refusing to is sure to get them an upgrade. Chen Xiangfeng leave the piste because to step Failure does not have to off would have meant accept- mean criticism back home. Liu Xiang’s surgeon, Nicho- be stronger aft er I come back. “I thought, OK, he could ing the judges’ ruling. Th e image that has gripped las Cullen, said he believes the I treasure the event. I retire now …” she said. “But Tweets and Facebook post- Italy is the shocked, vulner- injury was not as serious as will be back. Since the hurdles then we saw his message. He ings took her side, but fencing able face of former champion feared, hinting the star hurdler are still there, I want to conquer said he still wants to come itself had stepped out of the Federica Pellegrini, known for might be able to resume train- them. back. We will not be against his shadows in South Korea, and appearing naked on the cover ing in six months. I treasure the hurdling “Th e key is how I go about returning aft er the recovery.” media reported that suddenly of Vanity Fair magazine with The 29-year-old Chinese event. I will be back. recovering after surgery. Just Aft er arriving at the hospital everyone wanted to learn the her fellow swimmer boyfriend, hurdler stunned Since the hurdles are take it easy. Take care.” at 11:25 am on Th ursday, Liu sport. slumped in the water aft er fail- fans again as he ‘‘ For the first time since the went through a series of physi- Her countryman Yang Hak- ing to take a medal in her sig- crashed into the still there, I want to injury, Liu’s parents were made cal checks and was pushed into seon took over the sports pages nature 200m freestyle. fi rst barrier in the conquer them.” available for a public interview the operating room at 3 pm. not only for winning South Sport-crazy Australia fi nally first round of the LIU XIANG on Wednesday. It was reported by qq.com Korea’s fi rst gymnastics gold, has its heroes aft er hurdler Sally men’s 110m hurdles and ended CHINESE HURDLER, ON HIS PLANS His father said Liu’s con- that besides linking his ten- with a vault that he invented, Pearson and track cyclist Anna his third with TO RETURN AFTER SURGERY dition wasn’t good when he don up, the doctor would also but also because it emerged Meares won the country’s fi rst a ruptured Achilles tendon. arrived in London last Friday remove a calcifi ed area left over that he had used his training individual golds of 2012. But He underwent surgery on from . from the last surgery. money to support his fam- it had already been inclined Thursday at the Wellington a good mood the next day. He “I had phone calls with his Liu underwent his fi rst sur- ily, so poor that they had for to forgive its great swimming Hospital in London. It is the sent a message to his father, Liu coach after his arrival every gery on the tendon at Memo- a while lived in a greenhouse hope, James Magnussen, who largest independent hospital in Xuegen. day. It’s like it would be a little rial Hermann-Texas Medical on a farm. failed by 0.01 seconds to land the . “I had a very good sleep last better one day and then get Center in Houston in Decem- His reward? 100 million won the gold that he had loudly Cullen visited Liu in the Ath- night,” the message read. “My even worse the next day,” Liu ber 2008, four months after ($90,000) from his federation promised. letes Village on Tuesday night doctor met me and confi rmed Xuegen said. withdrawing from the and ramen noodles for life “Even the fact you failed, and made a preliminary assess- the surgery last night. He will His mother, Ji Fenhua, said Olympic Games. from a sponsor. it has got you the immedi- ment. operate (Th ursday). she thought about asking Liu ate attention,” said marketing Liu seemed somewhat “It’s a small surgery and will when he struck the barrier and Contact the writer at Cornfl ake packets expert Andrew Hughes at the relieved and appeared to be in not aff ect my life. Maybe I will hit the track in pain. chenxiangfeng.com.cn. Far greater fame and riches Australian National Univer- are already assured for some of sity. “He is still very market- the Olympics’ biggest names. able, because he has got a natu- American gymnast Gabby ral, fresh appeal to him which Douglas became her country’s makes people notice.” Gay knows something about pain Olympic sweetheart overnight likes its heroes to be with her individual all-round intellectual and has found the gold and her winning smile. perfect one in Yannick Agnel, By CHEN XIANGFENG he’s been a fighter,” Gay said. al pressure in London after He is one of only three Her face was appearing on the swimmer who grabbed in London “He is doing something strong failing to make the final in sprinters to have beaten world cornfl ake packets within hours gold from the United States chenxiangfeng@chinadaily. like I have. He has to continue to Beijing, where he suff ered a record holder and Olympic of her victory and experts on the last leg of the 4x100m com.cn fi ght, and he has to continue to hamstring injury in the 200m. champion Bolt. put her earnings potential at freestyle relay, then added an run well. People in China and in between $5 million and $10 AP individual gold. US sprinter Tyson Gay doesn’t Asia will see how he continues million over the next four years. From top: Ruben Limardo, Agnel reads poetry in his know Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang to fi ght and how he keeps run- “The gold medal alone Gabby Douglas, Lin Dan, Sun spare time, is learning Russian at all, but he thinks they have ning well. That will bring the doesn’t get you to fi rst base in Yang, Sally Pearson. for fun and speaks like an intel- something in common. sport a lot more push.” marketing — it’s the persona lectual. Injury prevented both from Gay’s own comeback story that goes with it,” said Lynn similarly attractive to Chinese “Being an Olympic cham- competing at the Beijing could serve as an example for Lashbrook, a sports agent in sponsors and sports fans alike. pion is my dream ... but being Games. Liu. Portland, Oregon. Th e number of his followers a writer must be nice, too,” he Both came back, strong and After hip surgery last year, “I can’t think of another per- on , China’s popu- told Match magazine. ambitious, for the London Gay enjoyed back-to-back vic- son in this category: female, Games. tories at the Paris and London young, articulate, great smile Both will go home from Lon- Diamond League meetings. — this is unique.” don extremely disappointed. Th e 29-year-old Texan then US swimmer Missy Franklin, Liu ruptured his Achilles ran 9.86 seconds at the US at 17, a year older than Douglas, tendon in his heat, while Gay Olympic Trials to make it to made headlines for choosing a finished fourth in the 100m London. very diff erent path. fi nal and failed to bring home He said he gave his best at the Likeable, telegenic and win- an elusive Olympic medal. Games. His 9.80 would have ner of four golds in London, she Th e 2007 world champion, won every Olympic 100 ever has turned her back on endorse- Gay, who in 2011 suffered run — before the era of Usain ments so that she can keep hav- another injury and career- Bolt, that is. ing fun as an amateur in US col- threatening surgery, said he Gay said Liu needs to take lege swimming. empathizes with Liu. things one step at a time aft er China’s Olympians look for- “Th at was a bad story. I know surgery. ward to material rewards as well the whole nation wants to see “(You have to get) mental- as national adulation. him run,” Gay said on Wednes- ly strong to do that,” he said. Lin Dan has become “Super- day. “He is the man to see on “Have the plan; the plan about Dan” in the Chinese media for the television for Chinese and dieting, (how to) work out successfully defending his bad- Asians. He had to do that for smarter and work harder. minton title. his country.” “Do not worry about the At the same time, he boosted Gay said he hopes Liu — practice and training aft er the the share price of the team’s whose Olympics gold surgery. But you must worry sponsor, the sporting goods in the 110m made him the about trying to … not make fi rm founded by 1984 gymnas- fi rst Asian man to win a track things worse. Do not rush, take tics triple gold medalist Li Ning, medal － can pick himself up it in time and stay focused on KEVIN FRAYER / ASSOCIATED PRESS by 12 percent overnight. and keep fi ghting. technique.” Tyson Gay of the US, one of the top sprinters in the world, still Compatriot Sun Yang, win- “Th at’s hard. I think for years Gay said he faced addition- doesn’t have an Olympic medal after fi nishing fourth in the 100. ner of two swimming golds, is