| BBC中文部奧運特派記者 高毅 |
劉翔退賽並不是什麼天大的新聞，這從劉翔起身、獨自平靜地走下跑道就看得出來。
就在兩分鐘前，也是處在第二道的美國名將特拉梅爾也因傷退賽。要知道，特拉梅爾是兩屆奧運會110米欄的銀牌得主，實力與劉翔不相上下。
運動員因傷退賽，人之常情。但當中國數億觀眾將目光聚集在劉翔身上時，劉翔做出這一選擇的確需要很大的勇氣。
自從雅典奧運會奪金後，劉翔能否在家門口衛冕就成了中國備戰奧運最熱門的話題。程度之深，令人吃驚，彷彿08北京奧運的成敗就在此一舉。
鋪天蓋地
行走在北京街頭和地鐵，劉翔的廣告畫隨處可見。中央電視台播出的一則耐克公司的廣告，主角劉翔目光炯炯而深邃地準備起跑，隨後打出耐克廣告語"想做就做"（Just Do It）。
在劉翔退出比賽後，看到這則廣告，有另外一種感受。
想起奧運開幕前夕，中國的報紙和互聯網有關姚明和劉翔的消息鋪天蓋地，新浪網有關中國軍團備戰奧運的報道幾乎都被這兩人充斥，兩人彷彿托起了中國百年奧運的夢想。
劉翔出戰的運動衣如何？ 會穿什麼跑鞋？能否擔當主火炬手？秘密訓練揭秘、甚至傳出劉翔的擇偶標準和"神秘女友"、與恩師孫海平推齣電影處女作等八卦新聞，無所不包。
中國為奧運會籌備了七年，中國人希望劉翔衛冕冠軍憋了四年。四年來，新聞媒體對劉翔全程跟蹤，無所不包，甚至不留任何隱私，各種消息泛濫，是為一種極端。
如此極端，最後迫使中國田徑管理中心也不得不發話，呼籲社會"忘記"劉翔，直至開賽前夕將劉翔"隔離"備戰。
密不透風
很多人贊同，劉翔受到的壓力太大了。中國田徑隊總教練馮樹勇說，劉翔這種心理素質超常好的人，最後也受不了這種壓力。
如果說這是一種極端，那麼，在奧運開賽前夕，劉翔又被外界送進了另一極端，即"密不透風"的極端。
8月18日，當劉翔踏上跑道時，無人知道他是怎麼想的。有消息說，劉翔過去幾天跟腱腳傷加重，可能無法參賽。
當天，數百名記者在媒體採訪混合區等候著，等待著劉翔完美跑完預賽，然後自信地滿臉笑容地接受採訪的那一幕。
當大家從電視熒屏上看見劉翔背對跑道而去時，所有的在場記者都懵了，其中也包括那些常年跟蹤報道中國田徑賽事、與教練和運動員頗有私交的"老記"。
在當天的新聞發佈會上，一名外國記者也提出了這樣的質疑：劉翔有傷，為什麼沒有向外界透露呢？是不是官方有規定不要對外界說呢？
田徑隊總教練馮樹勇說，上周六劉翔的傷勢加重，但沒有料到會這麼嚴重，導致今天無法參賽。
確實，當七月份劉翔被徹底"雪藏"後，有關他的消息則變得密不透風，甚至是正常的訓練和傷痛的消息都沒有。在這一情形下，劉翔無論如何，也必須出現在"鳥巢"內。
劉翔因傷退出比賽並不稀奇，而是兩個極端造成心理落差後的茫然稀奇。這種茫然讓劉翔的教練孫海平面對全球媒體鏡頭泣不成聲，讓在場記者為之動容。
今夜，劉翔難以入眠，但或許是一種解脫。 China’s Big Hope in Track Doesn’t Get Out of Blocks
BEIJING — The most anticipated event of the Beijing Games ended stunningly and prematurely Monday morning when China’s most popular athlete, Liu Xiang, limped off the track with an Achilles’ tendon injury and withdrew from the 110-meter hurdles, depriving the host country’s fans of what they had hoped would be the signature triumph of the Olympics.
Liu Xiang wore an expression of pain as he limped off the track before the first round of the 110-meter hurdles on Monday.
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Fans reacted as Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110-meter hurdles Monday.
Liu had become the first Chinese man to win a track and field gold medal by taking the 110 hurdles at the 2004 Athens Games. He became a celebrated symbol that China could compete with North Americans and others in events that required speed and sophisticated technique.
He was also considered China’s lone certainty for a gold medal in track and field at the Beijing Games. As the Olympics approached, Liu’s picture was everywhere on billboards. Pressure on him to repeat as champion in his home country had mounted, even as news began to surface that his injuries may be more serious than previously thought.
With a grimace and a limp, Liu brought fans at Olympic Stadium, Chinese reporters and his coach to tears Monday. He left the track, exasperated, ripping from his side the adhesive number that signified that he was competing in Lane No. 2. Fans who had waited for this moment for years began walking toward the exits. Soon they were questioning the Chinese track coaches’ handling of Liu’s injury, a national conversation that may last longer than these Games.
Another victory by Liu, 25, had been considered essential for China to stage a completely successful Olympics, even if the country’s overall lead in gold medals may now temper some of the national disappointment.
In recent days, the Chinese public had been cautioned not to expect too much from Liu, given that he had not competed since May 23 because of a hamstring injury.
That injury had healed, but last Saturday, Liu suffered a recurrence of chronic inflammation in his right Achilles’ tendon, according to China’s track and field federation.
By Monday morning, the pain had become “almost intolerable” and Liu began to shiver in discomfort, said Feng Shuyong, head of the track association.
During warmups, Liu seemed to grab his left hamstring at one point. His face creased in apparent agony. He then staggered out of the block, pulled up after another runner false-started and walked gingerly on his injured right leg.
Feng described Liu as being “very depressed.” No doubt much of China feels the same.
Liu’s coach, Sun Haiping, apologized for the injury then grew overcome with grief, covering his eyes and sobbing in a post-race news conference. Some Chinese reporters also cried in an area under the stadium where interviews with athletes are conducted.
“It is a very hard moment for all of us,” Sun said.
Sun said the Achilles’ tendon injury had recurred over the past six or seven years, seemingly describing a condition inflamed by a bone spur.
“I’m very disappointed, very disappointed,” said Wang Jifei, a reporter with The Chengdu Economic Daily. “Liu Xiang is our, you know, national hero. But right now he has failed.”
He Liu, 23, of Beijing, had come to the Bird’s Nest, as the Olympic Stadium is called, to see Liu in person for the first time.
“It’s very regretful,” He said of Liu’s departure. “Everybody has been waiting for such a long time. We hold very high expectations. But I think people understand.”
Liu’s injury came just minutes after the American hurdler Terrance Trammell, a silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Games, also withdrew because of a strained hamstring, crumpling to the track.
“We have been waiting a whole week for this,” said Guang Chunhua, 46, who, like Liu, is from Shanghai. “What a regret. But he’s injured and that happens to everybody. An American got hurt, too. There must be something wrong with the track. Maybe it’s just unlucky.”
Peng Siyuan, an 8-year-old boy from Beijing, had traveled to see Liu with his family, including an 82-year-old grandfather who sat in a wheelchair.
“I’m not mad at him,” Peng said of Liu. “I’m sure he’ll recover very soon and grab another championship in the future.”
Liu has not competed since May 23, when he participated in a pre-Olympic test event at the Bird’s Nest. He withdrew from Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York on May 31, saying he felt a balky hamstring. On June 8, he false-started — some believe purposely — at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.
Liu then returned to China, skipping the European circuit, which many found puzzling. The hurdles require technical precision; athletes compete frequently against each other to hone their skills and maintain their race sharpness.
While Liu was shelved, he lost his world record of 12.88 seconds, to Cuba’s Dayron Robles, who ran 12.87 in June at a meet in Slovakia.
Anxiety about Liu continued to grow when he did not appear at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games on Aug. 8. Reportedly, he had been running some simulated races in training, but rumors and news accounts persisted that he was not healthy.
Sunday, a posting on Liu’s official Web site said that he was suffering from an inflamed Achilles’ tendon. “I am very worried about the final,” Sun, Liu’s coach, said on the site, referring to Thursday’s gold-medal race. “In the final, Liu has to strive with all effort and when he uses the force from the foot, the pain gets worse. It will definitely affect his performance.”
Meanwhile, China Daily, the official English-language newspaper, described Monday that Liu’s injury was a strained hamstring. A headline referred to the expected duel with Robles, the Cuban, and said ominously: Injured Liu vs Terrifying opponent.
His mother was described in the article as worrying that he might suffer muscle cramps from training too seriously. She was said to phone him every day, urging caution.
Just before noon, everyone’s greatest fears were realized. Liu was gone from the Olympics. Robles seemed to have only one serious challenger, David Oliver of the United States. And China’s greatest hope had been dashed.
“Of course there are great expectations because in the last four years, Liu Xiang has had great achievement,” Feng, the head of the track federation, said. “He is a great athlete. There is widespread information about Liu Xing. It is encouraging to him to have this. No. 2, it is hard. Even though he does not go out often, when he goes, he sees his own picture. When he goes on the Internet, he sees all kinds of information about Liu Xiang. There is great pressure on him as well.”
At Monday’s news conference, Feng and Sun faced questions about why they had not given more information about Liu’s injury to the Chinese public.
After Liu received medical treatment on Saturday, officials didn’t realize the injury was so serious, Feng said.
“At the time nobody thought that he couldn’t compete today,” Feng said.
He was also asked about whether Liu had been forced to compete, even though he was injured.
“Of course, we recognize the fact that the Chinese track and field team will not have a great caliber, will not have a great level,” Feng said. “If we do not have success in the Beijing Games, it is much larger than the other teams. We ask our athletes to give the biggest performance they are able to. We ask, with all the pressure, please do what you can.”
According to the Xinhua News Agency, an Internet poll taken earlier this month indicated that 70 percent of respondents would react calmly to defeat by Liu. Because he was already an Olympic champion, he would not be viewed as a failure, said Ren Hai, a professor at Beijing Sport University.
“Everybody wants him to win a gold medal, but in competition, anything is possible,” Ren said in a recent interview. “Nothing is guaranteed. I don’t think it would be a big problem.”
A number of Chinese fans interviewed Monday said they did not realize the extent of Liu’s injuries. Some blamed the track federation and wondered whether he had been given proper medical treatment.
“This is a pity,” said Li Sida, 37, a Beijing businessman. “The whole country is disappointed. I wonder why Liu’s coach and the track federation didn’t prevent this from happening. Who ruined him?”
Jeffery Jong, 26, who works for a financial company in Beijing, said he thought that Liu had been “overestimated.”
“He was publicized and praised by the media too much.”
Many others reacted more sympathetically.
“The gold medal really doesn’t matter,” said Wang Weiben, 39, a futures broker. “There’s nothing to be regrettable about. I think it’s enough that he showed up on the field. It must be very suffering, as I saw from his facial expression. He couldn’t continue, obviously.”
Lynn Zinser contributed reporting; Zhang Jing and Huang Yuanxi contributed research.
In Games, China Is Denied Its Signature Moment
Liu Xiang limped off the track before the first round of the 110-meter hurdles.
BEIJING — Olympic gold medals? China has no shortage, with its athletes prevailing here in diving, weight lifting, shooting, badminton, archery, table tennis, swimming, rowing, gymnastics, fencing and perhaps soon, even beach volleyball in a nation where bikinis were frowned upon until quite recently.
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Go to Complete Coverage »But the country that spent seven years and many more billions preparing to stage this grand return-to-prominence party will not get its Cathy Freeman moment.
Freeman lit the cauldron at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and then lit up the night again little more than a week later by winning the 400 meters with the combined weight of Australia and her Aboriginal heritage loading down her slender frame.
Liu Xiang, no hulking figure himself, was China’s version of Freeman: an upbeat, upwardly mobile embodiment of national progress who had thrived long enough in his event, the 110-meter hurdles, to build up expectation on a scale that the Chinese emperors would have appreciated. Liu was proof that China, long a stockpiler of diving and table tennis medals, could compete in a mainstream, truly global sport, as well.
But not every flesh-and-blood Olympic symbol thrives on the rare air of such an occasion. And in this instance, there will be no occasion at all as the date of Aug. 21 that has long been marked in bold in China will now feature a hurdles final that will be lacking Liu and a Bird’s Nest full of buzz.
Liu was wincing instead of smiling shortly after he walked into the fabulous, new National Stadium on Monday to begin defense of his Olympic title. Instead of reaching, as meticulously planned, for the stars, Liu ended up reaching for his right leg in pain. And he was soon removing the lane number affixed to each of his thighs and limping miserably away from his presumed role in Olympic history before his first-round heat had officially begun.
When the race started without him, he was sitting slumped against a wall in the labyrinthine passageways of the place that had been conceived, in part, as a showcase for his event.
Even in Cuba, the island home of Liu’s chief rival, Dayron Robles, one imagines there was no rejoicing at Liu’s distress. How to begrudge an agreeable young man like Liu an opportunity?
The pity is that neither the Chinese nor anyone else will ever know if Liu could have followed Freeman’s template and handled the pressure. Monday appeared to be a case of Liu’s body, not his mind, letting him down.
He has proven his toughness since he surprised the field in the Athens Olympic final in 2004: winning a world outdoor title last year, despite plenty of worthy challengers, and capturing the world indoor title in March.
But this was hardly the first case of an iconic Olympic athlete faltering before the first hurdle at home. Much of the pre-Olympic expectation in Athens was centered on the Greek sprinter Ekaterini Thanou and her training partner, Konstantinos Kenteris.
Thanou and Kenteris, with remarkably impeccable timing, had restored Greece to prominence in track and field, the traditional showcase sport of the Games, before the Olympics’ return to its traditional home. But neither Kenteris nor Thanou were permitted to compete after they missed a doping test the night before the opening ceremony. Both were banned from the Games by the International Olympic Committee.
At least Greece still ended up with six gold medals. At the 1976 Games in Montreal, no Canadian athlete managed to win even one, which was the first time before or since that the host nation had failed to take gold.
Yet there was no singular figure like Liu or Freeman in Montreal, no protagonist whose back story and lofty expectations came to symbolize the Olympic competition. Nor was there any true equivalent in Atlanta in 1996, when the United States last staged the Summer Games, although the Americans Michael Johnson and Carl Lewis certainly had to cope with massive expectations at home.
Each handled the pressure in style, with Lewis winning his fourth straight title in the long jump and Johnson sweeping the 200 and 400 sprints, taking the 200 world record to a faraway place.
Then came Sydney, where Freeman, the reigning world champion in the 400, was thrust into a more central role. There were plenty of other Australian sports stars about, including the swimmers Ian Thorpe and Kieren Perkins. But Freeman, with her Aboriginal heritage, represented a link between Australia’s past and present. That made her irresistible to both her compatriots, many of whom were eager for rapprochement, and also to visiting foreign journalists looking for a great athlete and a story to help demonstrate the arc of Australia’s history.
The intensity of support for Freeman proved too much for her French rival, Marie-Jose Perec, who fled feeling threatened before the race began. And for those who had witnessed the buildup to the 400, it was still difficult to believe Freeman would be able to put one foot in front of the other, much less complete a lap in under 50 seconds. But on Sept. 25 with 112,000 fans in full roar — 21,000 more than would have filled the Bird’s Nest for Liu — Freeman stepped onto the track and, in an atypical sartorial gesture, pulled a racing hood over her head before she started. It was as if she were trying to shield herself. But she ended up feeding off the energy and then dropped to the track, emotionally spent.
“Sport is this great arena for drama,” she said later with the gold medal and her positive place in the narrative secure. “It’s a reflection of life. Anything can happen. Favorites don’t always win, but my Olympic dream came true when I crossed that line.”
The hardest part for Liu was that he never got the chance to cross the line at all.
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