Liu couldn't clear hurdle

China icon unable to get over pain

BEIJING - The symbolic face of the Beijing Games changed when defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang withdrew from the 110-meter hurdles yesterday because of a right foot injury. Without pictures of Liu effortlessly clearing hurdles in his first qualifying heat, the day's most enduring image came from his personal coach, Sun Haiping, at a news conference for the shocking development. Midway through the gathering, Sun buried his face in his hands and wept.

Sun began his remarks by apologizing for Liu's injury, then discussed the foot problem in detail. The tears first came as Sun described how determined Liu was to compete despite pain at the juncture of the Achilles' tendon and heel bone. Sun broke down on a few occasions. He was sorry for what happen to Liu. He was sorry for Chinese fans who had looked forward to the hurdles since Liu won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"Liu Xiang had been trying his best after he arrived in the warmup area," said Sun through a translator. "Three doctors were on the spot helping him deal with the pain, but whatever measure was taken, it was useless, no matter if it was sprayed or iced. It turned out to be useless because the injury is on the heel, which takes the most force. Whenever he stood up, he fell down."

The biggest moment of the Olympics was over before it began. After Liu took a practice pass over two hurdles, he kneeled on the track in pain. He settled into the starting blocks for the final heat of the first round and grimaced again. After officials called a false start on the Netherlands' Marcel van der Westen, Liu came out of the blocks and jogged to the first hurdle favoring his right leg.

He turned back toward the start, ripped off his hip numbers, and continued past the line. He limped off the National Stadium track and never returned to the blocks. As the rest of the hurdlers in his heat settled in for a second start, a camera focused on the empty blocks in Liu's Lane 2.

"I don't think he knew how serious it was until he got out there and put himself in prerace, full warmup mode," said Liu's Boston-based agent, Mark Wetmore. "I had heard nothing about this, and they don't keep secrets from me about things like this."

The crowd of 91,000 sat stunned and confused. When they realized that the first Chinese male to win gold in track and field could not defend his title, they shed tears, too. In China, Liu is viewed as a national treasure and an icon at 25. His success in the 110 hurdles is a source of national pride. A repeat victory would have been a show of strength by China, not just Liu.

The China Daily reported that vice president Xi Jinping sent a telegram to the General Administration of Sport, underscoring the national importance of Liu's athletic success.

"We hope he will take proper rest and focus on his recovery," said Jinping in the telegram. "We hope that after he recovers, he will continue to train hard and struggle harder for the national glory."

Chinese national track team coach Feng Shouyoung defended Liu's effort. Feng also acknowledged the scrutiny Liu faced.

"Four years after Athens, his main goal was gold in Beijing," said Feng through a translator. "Today's result is not perfect, especially for Liu Xiang. There is a great expectation and a great pressure from all.

"For the past four years, Liu Xiang has been an athlete with great perseverance and stability who never drops out of competition easily. He went into the stadium with the greatest and strongest will. He wanted to compete. But he could not ignore the pain he was suffering. Liu Xiang would not have withdrawn unless the pain was intolerable and he had no other way out."

When Liu arrived at the Olympic Village last Saturday evening, he underwent an MRI that revealed the Achilles' problem. A bone spur in the back of the heel is creating extra pressure on the tendon every time Liu pushes off his right foot. The problem surfaced roughly seven years ago. Depending on the intensity of training, it can flare up and cause severe pain. It did just that as Liu prepared for his first qualifying heat.

"He has taken effective measures and made adjustments, and until last Saturday, he was in great shape," said Feng. "Last Saturday in training, the injury intensified.

"After experts and doctors looked at it, his injury eased and he was still very confident. Even though there was pain, he exercised to his best, to 100 percent. So he decided to compete after treatment from doctors.

"It makes a huge difference when there is pain. Some actions are not easy, but he was very determined to compete."

Wetmore, however, was glad the hurdler withdrew. He feared further injury that could have been career-ending. Liu will not compete again this year, forgoing any races on the European circuit.

The fact that Liu would even attempt to compete in so much pain demonstrates the extreme pressure on the Chinese. More than anything, he wanted to give China the big athletic moment of the Games.

Liu was described by his coaches as "depressed" about not being able to compete. Much of the news conference was devoted to damage control, with Sun and Feng repeatedly emphasizing Liu's strength on the track and strength of character.

"Liu Xiang is a great athlete," said Feng. "He stands the pressure no other athletes can simply stand. Everybody expected that Liu can do as well as he did four years ago in Athens and get another gold medal. That's the wishes of all Chinese people.

"I believe that all the Chinese people will understand his situation and encourage him to overcome this problem and come back to the track and run good performance again."

But Liu knows there never will be another moment like the one he will miss Thursday night when the 110 hurdles final takes place. The Chinese will cheer the hurdlers in the race, but they will be thinking of Liu. After all, from newspaper covers to massive video screens to Olympic advertising, he is everywhere in Beijing except on the track.