The 29th Olympiad

Under Pressure

There has been a lot of conjecture as to the fate of China’s most beloved star, and his result in one of the most anticipated medal races. You’ve heard the two most popular hypotheses: that Liu Xiang will repeat his gold-medal performance in Athens, or he will choke under the pressure of 1.3 billion people demanding that his lightning strike twice. But in an astonishing twist worthy of an O. Henry award, China’s prized hurdler has withdrawn from competition without crossing a single hurdle.

Liu Xiang was set to compete in heat 6 of round 1 of the men’s 110 meter hurdles and before the competition itself, there was extensive vapid pregame coverage which included a search for Liu Xiang who, the commentators concluded, after cutting to aerial shots and shots from inside the Bird’s Nest, had not yet entered the stadium. Eventually Liu did enter the stadium and was set to race, but after taking a few steps after a false start, he ripped off the numbers taped onto his legs and withdrew himself from the race without a word.

Everyone knew that the hurdler had been inflicted with a hamstring injury and an inflamed Achilles tendon but they still expected to see him run, and some expected to see him win. Indeed, the finals competitions on the 22nd are colloquially referred to as “the Liu Xiang finals.” Liu himself said of the Olympics: “I will try my best…. I hope it will be the second birthplace of my dreams.”

After broadcasting the heat with an empty lane 2 where the hurdler stood just moments before, the video feed cut back to the commentators who immediately began explaining, or perhaps apologizing for, the situation. Although they pleaded for tolerance and understanding, they were unable to hide their surprise. Here are a few quotes, roughly translated:

We thought we had considered all the possibilities—that Liu Xiang would win, that Liu Xiang would lose—but we never thought that he wouldn’t compete.

Injuries happen to everyone. Your spirit can be solid as iron but your body cannot.

We hope that no one will interrupt Liu Xiang’s rest in the following days. I am sure he needs it and he must be feeling a little shaken right now.

CCTV 1 then concluded the broadcast and went to recaps. But about twenty minutes later it aired a press conference where Liu’s coach explained that “if it were not absolutely necessary, Liu Xiang would not have withdrawn from the competition” and said that the injury was at the back part of the Achilles’ tendon, where the tendon meets the bone.

Pain is invisible, known only to the sufferer. I can only imagine what it must be like and take the words of his coach at face value. But for 1.3 billion people, this result, which could easily albeit incorrectly interpreted as ignominy, could be a bitter pill to swallow.

In the coming days, this athlete’s foot will be the topic of many discussions. Indeed the media is already dressing this decision up as a heroic one. One reporter at the Bird’s Nest said, while holding back tears, “His decision was brave and he has already surpassed himself and will continue to surpass himself.” Commentators back in the studio added, “I just want to say one thing to Liu Xiang: we will always be with you.” The program ended with a montage of Liu Xiang training videos accompanied by somber string music.

The Chinese people might always be with Liu Xiang, but will his sponsors? Liu Xiang peeks out at Beijingers from behind hundreds of advertisements. But what will the face that was once associated with miracles and Olympic gold stand for now? Unless the media can fully shape Liu’s withdrawal into an act of martyrdom, and get the public to buy it, it could be a long and lonely fall from the top for the Olympic hurdler.

I changed the channel after CCTV 1’s anticlimactic denouement to CCTV 3, which showed a commercial that featured Liu Xiang soaring over the hurdles in Athens. Perhaps the Chinese people will have to settle for those reruns for another four years.

© 2008 The Hypermodern.