Beijing Olympics: Dear Liu Xiang (刘翔) – Your injury and the pressure from 1.3 billion Chinese

Dear Liu Xiang (刘翔),

Like the 91,000 people watching you live at the Bird’s Nest, my better half and I were both stunned, shocked, and disappointed that you had to withdraw from the 110m hurdles competition because of your Achilles injury. We saw you were clearly in pain during the warm-up but bravely gave it a try before you had to withdraw.

I know you are much much more disappointed of your inability to compete at the Beijing Olympics than we can ever imagine. The stress you must have been under from the sky-high hopes and dreams of 1.3 billion Chinese would be unbearable to most. And words from insensitive officials from the Chinese Sports Ministry last year, as reported by TIME magazine, couldn’t have helped either. Quoting from the TIME article (emphasis added),

Soaring is just what China expects Liu to do. A recent Internet poll found that the Chinese citizenry’s No. 1 Olympic wish is for Liu to win gold. The Chinese Sports Ministry, which has three doctors dedicated to Liu’s well-being, apparently holds similarly high hopes. “Officials told us if Liu could not win a gold medal in Beijing, all of his previous achievements would become meaningless,” said Sun Haiping, Liu’s coach, to the press last year. Just how important is Liu to the Chinese nation? Well, an insurance company has valued his legs at $13.5 million.

It is only after reading reports from Apple Daily’s report (an excerpt included here) where it is reported that your coach actually cried in the post-race press conference when he talked about your condition and your insistence in attempting to run even when you were in serious pain,

在 賽 後 記 者 會 上 ， 劉 翔 的 教 練 孫 海 平 在 解 釋 傷 勢 時 ， 多 次 泣 不 成 聲 。[...] 孫 海 平 說 ， 劉 翔 受 傷 的 地 方 正 是 他 跑 步 最 需 要 受 力 支 撐 的 地 方 ， 只 要 腳 一 撐 在 那 個 地 方 就 要 受 力 ， 而 劉 翔 因 傷 一 撐 那 個 地 方 就 軟 下 來 ， 但 還 是 始 終 在 堅 持 。 說 到 此 處 ， 孫 海 平 再 度 哽 咽 ， 難 以 繼 續 。

Xiang, I know your fellow countrymen have been stunned, shocked, and disappointed with your injury and inability to compete. Witness the stunned silence in the packed 91,000 Bird’s Nest after you walked off the field. At the same time, I hope they will understand and realize the tremendous pressure you must have been under and the fact that there can be unexpected and painful injuries in any sports. (I’ve scanned a few of the latest reports in Chinese here, here, and here.)

I hope your fellow countrymen will be supportive on your road to recovery. And when you are healthy again, to challenge the other athletes in 110m hurdles. Of course, it is not the same as having you compete and win in Beijing but life sometimes throw us unexpected curve balls. I believe what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger.

Wishing you a speedy recovery,

Kempton

*******

P.S. Here is an excerpt from Globe and Mail,

On the Chinese Internet, many fans blamed Liu himself, saying he had become arrogant and spoiled by too many lucrative advertising deals. Debates erupted in web forums, with many people cursing Liu and others praising him. [...]

Cheng Diyu, a 76-year-old pensioner, said the entire nation had been expecting Liu to give a triumphant performance in Beijing. “I’m so sad and disappointed,” she said when told of Liu’s withdrawal. “It hurts the hearts of the people. His gold medal was so important to China.”

P.P.S. Here is an article from New York Times, “Olympic Star Is Sidelined. Will His Ads Be, as Well?“.