Liu Xiang

Liu Xiang (Hand Drawn)

Liu Xiang, a famous and the first Chinese gold medalist hurdler with a height of 6’2’’and weight of 185lbs, was born on July 13, 1983 in Shanghai, China. With a supportive family and an excellent coach, he was able to achieve his dream.

During his childhood, Liu was enrolled in a district sports school and joined the high jump team. His large feet and large Achilles tendon hinted that Liu was a good jumper. He kept on it and was one of the best, but his older teammates relentlessly bullied him. Liu’s father, Liu Xuegen, wanted to transfer him to another school because of these bullies, but a famous coach Sun Haiping encouraged Liu’s father to let him stay. Liu’s father agreed and Sun watched over Liu during his training from then on. Liu kept on practicing five hours a day on his high jump, but when he stopped making progress, Liu joined the hurdling team.

Liu's Victory in '04 Olympics (http://www.cinaoggi.it/olimpiadi_2008/liu-xiang/liu-xiang.jpg)

Eventually, Liu Xiang trained with Sun in hurdling. Sun said that Liu isn't afraid to attempt the hurdles as opposed to the other people. By the age of 18, Liu Xiang was competing in national hurdling competitions. A few years later during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Liu matched the 11 year old world record in hurdling with a time of 12.91 seconds. He eventually broke the world record with a time of 12.88 seconds, later broken again in Switzerland by his rival, Dayron Robles, with a time of 12.87 seconds!

Liu in Agony During Warm Up in '08 Olympics (http://theno1team.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/3-liu-xiang.jpg)

One of Liu's moments to shine was the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He trained indoors in Shanghai, his hometown, vigorously before the Olympics. Sun wanted Liu to concentrate and avoided outside contacts and indoor distractions. During this time, Liu mainly focused on being mentally and physically fit. Like many athletes, Liu said he was eager to compete in the Olympics, but the only difference was that this time it was on home turf. On the day of his race, everybody was excited as well as me. I watched on TV as Liu approached his lane, but his face only showed agony. Once the race was about to begin everybody roared for Liu. Once the signal was sounded someone got a head start and everybody headed back to the starting line. Then the devastation hit, Liu took off his number and walked back into the locker room. Many people were shocked and left right away trying to sell their tickets. Later, it was discovered that Liu's training caused his Achilles injury. Doctors said that if he ever did finish that single race, it would be difficult to even have Liu walk. Though many fans were still disappointed and said that Liu should've at least crawled during the race. Liu got an operation and his foot healed and is competing again, though problems still occur occasionally.

Liu never did get a chance to win gold at his home during the 2008 Olympics, but he still doesn't give up and keeps on pursuing his dream. He looks to the future and hopes to attend the 2012 London Olympics. My hero, Liu Xiang, overcame a great disappointing obstacle, but what really made him my hero was his determination.