China Hails Its Fallen Hero

BEIJING, Aug. 19, 2008 — -- Liu Xiang's truncated hurdles race Monday shattered a billion dreams and stunned 91,000 pairs of eyes in the Bird's Nest. Twenty-four hours later, however, China is already moving on.

Many of Liu's Chinese fans today united in support of a fallen hero, a stark contrast to Monday's refrain of "regret" and tears for Liu's failed gold medal attempt.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping set the tone by sending a message to the General Administration of Sport, stating, "People will understand that Liu quit because of injury."

Xi hoped that Liu would "put things behind him."

Bloggers and bulletin board users offered a ceaseless stream of consoling messages for Liu.

"I hope Liu Xiang can come back quickly," one post read. "I will still be his fan."

"Bless Liu! He is still the hero of our nation!" declared another.

In an online poll by the China Daily, fans were asked, "How do you feel about Liu Xiang's abrupt withdrawal from the 110-meter hurdles with an injury?"

A) Gutted

B) Proud of his attempt

C) Disappointed

D) Angry

The results were surprisingly widespread: 31 percent of respondents were proud of Liu's attempt while 27 percent were disappointed and another 27 percent just plain angry.

Nike, one of Liu's sponsors, tapped into the mood by running a full-page advertisement on the back of the front sections of several newspapers in Beijing this morning.

The ad featured a larger-than-life, close-up shot of Liu Xiang's expressionless -- perhaps somber -- face. The words, which tapped into the emotion and drama, were also clearly intended for Liu's distraught fans.

In bold red capital letters, it read:

Love competition

Love risking your pride

Love winning it back

Love giving it everything you've got

Love the glory

Love the pain

Love sport even when it breaks your heart

Just do it.

As Nike tried to support Liu (and milk his contract) through advertisements, his sponsors also left messages for Liu on the finance page of Sina.com, the popular Web portal.

Shanghai Automobile and Cadillac wrote, "We will continue to stand behind Liu Xiang and the Chinese athletics team, to cheer for Liu Xiang, and we will support him in getting through all these difficulties and in every step of his recovery."

Ping An Insurance, which reportedly gave Liu a $14 million insurance policy for free, offered a message that addressed many of his fans' worries.

"Liu Xiang, forever the 'flying man' in our hearts, your withdrawal today makes us all sad, but in the face of the huge expectations ... the act of withdrawal itself required courage ...," the statement read. "We wish Liu Xiang a speedy, early recovery, and we expect the 'flying man' to fly again."

The major dairy corporation Yili tried to pull the focus away from what many consider Liu's lost gold medal to assure fans that the hurdler's celebrity status is here to stay.

"Bless Liu Xiang. ... We did not choose Liu Xiang to sign an endorsement with us because he can win gold medals, so Yili will continue to support Liu Xiang and Chinese sport just as we have before."

A couple of gold medals this afternoon boosted China's gold medal count to 40 and helped console Liu's grieving fans. The China Daily predicted that Team China would most likely walk away with the most gold medals for the first time in history, declaring that China "looks unassailable in the gold tally."

If so, it will likely help Liu to fade away quietly from the forefront of these eventful Olympics and begin preparing gingerly for the 2012 London Games.