Chinese fans crushed when injury halts Liu Xiang's medal hopes

His name means "to soar" and he was China's biggest star for this Olympics.

But for 25-year-old hurdler Liu Xiang, the Games were over before they began.

On Monday morning Liu bowed out of the competition because of an injury, and Chinese fans immediately felt his pain. Some cried in the stands. Liu's coach and some Chinese reporters wept openly in the news conference that followed.

"We were very hopeful he would get a gold medal," said fan Li Li, 45. "He's the pride of China."

Li and her husband, Wu Changchun, 45, traveled five hours by bus to Beijing from their home in Anhui province just to see Liu compete.

When Liu didn't finish his first race, many of the 91,000 people in the stands left the stadium, Li said. As the icon for Chinese sports whose popularity exceeds even Yao Ming, Liu faced enormous pressure to bring home the gold. In the end, that pressure may have pushed Liu over the limit.

"I am really sorry," Liu said in an interview Monday night on Chinese television.

He added, "I knew I couldn't make it when I was warming up and I couldn't even jog. I really wanted to pull through but I couldn't."

Liu's Achilles tendon had been injured for some time, and his right hamstring had also bothered him for months. The fact that he didn't pull out of the Games earlier may have been intended to avoid upsetting the nation, but that happened anyway.

"Chinese had pinned their hopes on him," said Guo Qingyue, 48, a Beijing businessman. "It's such a huge pity. He prepared such a long time for this."

If Liu had won gold on the heels of Michael Phelps' swimming victories, Guo said, "The world would have had two heroes."

Chinese reporters wanted to know why Liu's condition wasn't disclosed earlier to ease the blow.

"He couldn't imagine the pain he was suffering," Feng said. "Let me repeat: Liu Xiang will not withdraw unless the pain is unbearable."

Feng conceded the pressure was bound to have an impact, but no one withstood it like Liu. He tried to live up to the expectations of a nation desperate for a domestic sports hero, and endorsements worth millions. His sponsors include Nike, Coca-Cola and Visa.

Liu was already elevated to a celebrity in China before his first event in Beijing. He croons in a music video, drinks milk in a TV commercial and looms down on China's streets from a giant billboard for Cadillac.

China Insurance donated a $13 million insurance policy for his legs.

Zhao Hong and Guan Qina, sisters from Beijing, arrived at the Bird's Nest decked out in shiny shirts featuring Olympic mascots and fingernails painted the five colors of the Olympics.

They had come to watch Liu run.

"It's a huge regret," Guan said. "We've been waiting all this time to see the epic confrontation between Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles."

Peng Fei, 20, a university student volunteering near the stadium, said he felt deep sadness.

"In my heart, he is the spirit of my home, my country," he said. "I'm very sorry for that."

But he said people should not have left the event before it was over.

"They should support other athletes," he said. "They should see the whole game."

Fans were also quick to show their support for Liu and his recovery.

"This was something no one expected," said Sun Weiwen, 20, of Beijing. "I feel so sorry for him. But I really can understand. When I saw his expression, it was so full of pain. It wasn't like he didn't want to run. He tried, but he couldn't run."

And now Liu faces his biggest hurdle yet.

As long as he recovers, Liu said, "There will be other opportunities. I will not quit easily."

E-mail: kheim@seattletimes.com.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.