Watching Liu Xiang's race in the subway

Watching Liu Xiang's race in the subway

 

I saw the group ahead of me as I walked down the stairs of the subway. They were all huddled around a large flat-screen. I stopped to see what they were looking at, and there was Liu Xiang’s face. He looked strong and determined as he warmed up on the track. This was his first race of the 2008 Games and all of us, although before in a rush, put life on hold to watch his entrance. Liu is more god than man in China. He attained his over-night stardom by being the first Asian to win a Gold in the 110 meter hurdles and breaking the world record in Athens. His face is plastered over every gym in the country. We all stopped dead in our tracks to watch his debut. On TV Liu looked sharp on his first warm-up jumps, passing the hurdles with ease. The second time through it look like he landed a bit wrong. The he began to limp. “Oh, no.” I heard a man next to me say under his breath. The growing crowd around the TV became silent. We watched as the camera-man zoomed in on Liu’s face. You could see Liu’s lips moving, talking to his body- he was in trouble. His head was shaking back and forth, teeth gritted in pain. I could see it in his expression, he seemed to be saying: ”No, not now.” As he shed his warm-ups and tried another limping pass at the hurdles, a woman behind me began saying, “His foot. It’s his foot. He’s hurt.” Like a mantra she chanted this once every fifteen seconds. The gun went off to begin the race. False start. There was a communal intake of breath as Liu peeled his number from his leg and walked back into the stadium. We stared at the screen as he limped into the tunnels of the Bird’s Nest. Then Liu’s race began and ended- without him. I looked at the faces around me. Some wore somber frowns, others had tears welling up in their eyes. The Olympics had been pretty much built around Liu- and he wasn’t able to perform for the show. I walked on- looking at every passenger’s face. Some looked at the ground, others at the ceiling. A couple just stared at the screen teary eyed. We were all in shock. I boarded the subway and watched the replay on the train’s TV. The announcer could barely control herself, and she finally broke down on air. Liu had broken the world record during training just a few days before.

Liu is arguably the fastest 110M hurdle runner on earth. This is quite a feat when you carry over 1.4 billion people’s expectations on your shoulders. Liu, in my opinion, is an incredible individual. He is modest, hard-working and a model Olympian. What happened today was just bad luck and I for one congratulate him for at least trying to race- and calling it when he knew he was injured. As an athlete it takes guts to step onto the track and even more to step off when you know you’re hurt. (Especially when the entire world is watching.) Well done Liu. I wish you the best and we’ll see you in London.

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