CITY OF DREAMS YOUNGEST IOC MEMBER WORLD VOICE Chinese diplomat appointed DreamWorks to build For former champion Yang, life after UN undersecretary > p23 $3b center in Shanghai sports learned the hard way > BUSINESS, PAGE 13 > OLYMPICS, PAGE 4 OLYMPIC SPECIAL CHINADAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 chinadaily.com.cn Issue No 14 £1 t least this time Liu and fi eld gold in 2008, he had to Xiang got to run. Of pull out before his fi rst heat due course, it was only for to chronic infl ammation in his A a few steps, and the right Achilles tendon. result was the same — an early Liu returned to the spotlight exit from the Olympics and an when he won gold at the 2010 exceedingly disappointed nation. Asian Games and silver at the China’s track and field star 2011 World Championships. again saw his gold-medal hopes Concern over Liu’s injury dashed prematurely, as he ham- grew quickly aft er his arrival in mered into the top of the first London over the weekend. barrier with his lead leg and His injured right foot fl ared tumbled to the ground in the up again during his fi nal tune- fi rst heat of the 110m hurdles at up in Germany. Aft er arriving the London Games on Tuesday. in London on Friday, coach Sun The former Olympic and Haiping acknowledged the foot world champion picked himself was bothering Liu. up slowly, not daring to put his “Knowing Liu’s situation, I injured right foot on the ground, think what caused the fall was and hopped into the tunnel. his old injury to the right Achil- He came out again a few sec- les tendon,” said Du Liangjie, onds later — still on one leg — a rehab expert from the China FINAL KISS and hopped the length of the Rehabilitation Research Center. course to a standing ovation “Although he received a from fans and competitors. course of therapy and reha- He was carried away on a bilitation aft er the 2008 Beijing wheelchair from what might Olympics, it was nearly impos- have been the end of a glittering, sible that he would fully recover if stuttering, career. from that kind of tendon injury. His parents cried in their hotel For ordinary people, their daily room in suburban London. “He activities wouldn’t cause the could not make it because his recurrence of the injury, but for injury was too serious,” said his the 29-year-old Liu, who trains mother, Ji Fenhua. “It was really intensively every day, the recur- diffi cult for him to even make it rence was highly possible.” to the starting line.” Some thought it might have Liu was not available for com- been more than simply the ment. It was emblematic of his injury that led to Liu hopping place in Chinese culture that even around the track. members of the media struggled “He was definitely crushed to get a handle on their emotions. under the pressure of the nation,” CCTV commentator Yang said Liu Chuang, a Chinese stu- Jian broke down sobbing with dent from Ningbo, Zhejiang millions of viewers watching. province. “All of the people were “Liu is a warrior,” Yang said. hoping for him to regain his form “A ft er a race that was possibly the and win back the gold medal. last of his career, the process and “It’s really a tragedy.” the result are hard for us to accept When Liu walked away before mentally, but that’s the ruthless- the first round at the Beijing ness of competitive sports. Olympics, many fans said he “He still tried to fly today, shouldn’t have left but instead when he knew he couldn’t make should have fi nished the race by it to the fi nish line. Th at remind- walking. ed me of the 2004 Athens Olym- “It’s unfair and cruel that Liu pics, where he flew to win the had to take on all of the nation’s gold medal. Now he is 29, and hopes in athletics,” sports com- maybe he should take a break. mentator Huang Jianxiang said. Th is is the worst result I could “For so many years, Chinese have imagined.” athletics relied solely on Liu for Th e rest of the world sympa- its big moments on the interna- thized. Britain’s Andy Turner, the tional stage. Th at’s not normal. winner of the heat, helped Liu Our sports authority should off the track and into a waiting refl ect on that.” wheelchair. Liu’s victory in Athens put him “I know how painful those in the books as the first Asian Achilles problems are, and aft er man to win gold in track and what he’s been through, this is field, a popular and influential absolutely devastating for him,” sport around the world. China Turner said. “I really feel sorry for took 51 gold medals to top the Liu Xiang because in my opinion, tally in Beijing but lags behind he’s the greatest hurdler ever.” the rest of the world on the track Th e world’s fastest man agreed. and regards Liu as a national “It’s really hard,” said Jamaican treasure. PHOTOS BY CUI MENG / CHINA DAILY, AP AND XINHUA 100m gold medalist Usain Bolt. One physical education teach- “I think he’s one of the best. er said he hopes Liu’s fate won’t (From top left)Liu Xiang crashes into the fi rst barrier in the opening heat of the 110m hurdles “He’s showing the world he dampen the nation’s enthusiasm in London on Tuesday. In a poignant and brave can do great things. For him to for the sport. gesture Liu picks himself up, and despite being push himself and come back last “There would have to be injured, hops to the last hurdle and kisses it. year and for this to happen, it’s some kind of negative impact To the roar of the crowd Liu then embraced his really sad for any athlete.” on the mentality of parents who waiting rivals who helped him from the track. The (London) Daily Tele- enrolled their children to train graph’s chief sports correspon- in the event,” said Tao Qiang, dent, Ian Chadband, wrote that a teacher from Shanghai No 2 Nation shares the he admires Liu’s perseverance. Sports School, where Liu trained “Without a trace of emotion at an early age. heartache as a ruptured on his face, the crowd saluted “The 110m hurdles have him and he sat down in his always been a favorite event at Achilles tendon forces wheelchair,” Chadband wrote. the school. I hope the passion for “It was remarkable that Liu it won’t cool down just because 2004 Athens gold could remain so sanguine about of the loss of a single athlete,” his calamity.” he said. medalist to withdraw Liu hoped to regain the title he won in Athens in 2004, when he Contact the writer at chenx- again from the Olympics. set an Olympic record of 12.91 [email protected]. seconds. Wang Zhenghua contributed to Chen Xiangfeng writes. As China’s best hope for track this story. COACH: INJURY NEVER WENT AWAY Contacts In this issue LONDON: NEWS .................... 2,8,9,11,12 OLYMPICS ......................... 3-6 It’s not that Liu Xiang’s torn deputy leader. Liu found himself in the inter- tendon,” Feng said. happens to many athletes.” Phone +44 (0)207 398 8270 COMMENT ............................. 7 Achilles tendon is back. “Over the past several national spotlight when his “He battled with the injury “The State General Admin- Fax +44 (0)207 398 8260 COVER STORY .................... 10 It’s that it never went away years, he has had good medi- 110m hurdles victory made and hoped he could at least istration of Sports are con- Feedback [email protected] BUSINESS ...................... 13-17 in the fi rst place. cal care, but it is still there and him the first Asian man to make it to the final. But he failed.” tacting hospitals for the Circulation & Advertising China’s track and field we never stopped the treat- win a gold medal in track and Feng said no decision has treatment of Liu,” a Shanghai [email protected] LIFE ..................................18-21 chief said on Tuesday that ment. fi eld. On Tuesday, Liu fell vic- been reached on Liu’s future. offi cial told Xinhua on condi- WORLD ...........................22-24 Liu’s treatment for the injury “An Achilles injury is almost tim to the same injury that “He is not thinking about tion of anonymity. BEIJING: has been an ongoing process impossible to fully recover kept him from competing in retiring,” he said. “(But) it “He will remain in Britain News (86-10) 6491-8366 for the past four years. from. We tried hard before the the 2008 Games in Beijing. is hard to say (if he will for a while and is very likely to Subscription (86) 400-699-0203 “The injury is the same Games, but we could not fi nd “The initial diagnosis from return). I hope all the fans receive a surgery in the coun- Advertisement (86-10) 6491-8631 one he had in Beijing,” said eff ective ways (to deal with it).” the medical staff is that he can understand this, and try,” the offi cial said. [email protected] Feng Shuyong, the team’s Eight years ago in Athens, might have a torn Achilles that anything can happen. It E-mail CHEN XIANGFENG chinadaily.com.cn/iphone iPhone app 国际标准编号:ISSN0253-9543.