Liu misery for China

China’s biggest superstar Liu Xiang pulled out of the 110 meters hurdles minutes before his first heat. Liu, the only Chinese trackstar, was the surprise hurdles winner at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Since then, his countrymen have been enamoured of him. His face has adorned huge hoardings and shop windows across the country. The host nation, which could hardly wait for track events to begin, was in for a huge shock when Liu pulled out. Liu's withdrawal broke the collective heart of China.

Surprisingly, I was disappointed to hear the news. While Liu is fawned over across his home nation, the star himself is quite elusive. And with no opportunities in India to catch up on world athletic events, I knew this was as good a chance as any to see this star in action.

But more than the withdrawal, the manner of it raises more questions. Why did he wait till before the first heat to withdraw? The injury was definitely not picked up that day. It was most likely something that he had suffered sometime ago. Did Liu believe that on the day, he would be fine enough to run? Or was the star under pressure from the various sponsors to withdraw only at the last moment? Some commentators seem to think so.

Whatever the truth, Liu is assured of his legendary status in China. After his announcement, there were no kneejerk reactions from his Olympic-medal mad nation. I can only hope that we Indians will learn to show the same level of maturity as the Chinese while dealing with the fragile bodies and vulnerable hearts of our sportspersons.