Athletes who represent their country in competitions should be respected regardless of whether they have won a medal or not.
Chinese track and field athlete Liu Xiang set an Olympic record by winning the 110m hurdles event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
However, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he withdrew due to injury, which once caused controversy online.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, 21-year-old Chinese athlete Liu Xiang won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles event with a time of 12.91 seconds, which was also the first men's Olympic champion in Chinese athletics. Nineteen years later, his Olympic record remains unbroken.
After winning the championship at that time, in an interview with the media, he said excitedly:
"Who said that yellow people can't finish in the top 8 of the Olympic Games, I must prove to everyone today that I am an Olympic champion."
The picture was transmitted back to China, Liu Xiang instantly became popular, and many Chinese people were moved to tears with him.
Liu Xiang was even selected as the "Athlete of the Year" by CCTV, tied with Yao Ming, and became famous for a while.
At that time, Liu Xiang held the world record in the men's 110-meter hurdles. He is like a mythical hero, and no one can break his record.
Because of his brilliant achievements, countless fans regard him as a "flying man".
He was the only yellow-skinned track and field athlete at the time, and he wrote a legend belonging to China with countless brilliant achievements.
However, he is also an ordinary person, and people can also get hurt.
Although injuries have affected his performance on the field, he has been unfairly criticized for more than a decade.
Behind these criticisms, many people forget the brilliance he created.
01. Xiao Liu Xiang meets Bole
Liu Xiang's father, Liu Xuegen, was a member of the movement to go to the countryside in the 60s of the last century.
With the development of the times, he returned to Shanghai in the late 70s and began to work for his father in the Shanghai Water Supply Company as a driver.
Liu Xuegen's wife, Ji Fanhua, was working as a dim sum chef at a state-run food store at the time. The two met in Shanghai when they were young, and soon after falling in love, they decided to get married, living in a small alley in Shanghai's Putuo District.
In 1983, Liu Xiang was born in Shanghai, weighing nine pounds at birth, and was a healthy baby boy.
Liu Xiang was born into an ordinary family of workers, neither of his parents were sports athletes.
However, God destined him to become a great athlete and make Olympic history.
Since childhood, Liu Xiang has shown extraordinary physical strength and athletic talent.
Whether crawling or learning to walk, Liu Xiang is much earlier than other children of the same age.
Since childhood, Liu Xiang has shown extraordinary athletic talent. Even before other babies learn to crawl, he can barely walk on his own.
Liu Xiang's parents quickly noticed this characteristic of their son, and they were surprised to find that Liu Xiang started running almost at the same time as he learned to walk, and it was so fast that it was unbelievable that he was a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
In order to satisfy his love for sports, Liu Xiang's parents often took him to the park to play and bought him various toys that he could climb up and down.
This invisibly promoted Liu Xiang's interest in sports as a child, and also laid the foundation for him to later become China's top athlete.
Not only physical fitness, Liu Xiang's food intake is also very amazing.
One night, Liu Xiang ran into the house in a hurry, anxiously shouting: "Mom, I'm hungry!" Did you make dinner? ”
Liu Xiang's mother smiled and said, "Baby son, I haven't done it yet, are you starting to get hungry now?" ”
Liu Xiang frowned and said, "I don't know why, I didn't have much appetite all day today, but now I'm very hungry!" ”
The mother touched her son's hair with distress and asked, "What do you want to eat?" ”
Liu Xiang thought for a while and said, "I want to eat some snacks, such as potato chips or chocolate." ”
His mother immediately ran into the kitchen in search of food to keep her son hungry. However, when she opened the cupboard, she found that all the snacks were gone.
The mother was a little surprised and asked her son: "Have you eaten all these things?" ”
Liu Xiang smiled softly, and then admitted frankly: "Yes, Mom." I ate these things all day and was starving. ”
The mother did not reproach her son, but gently patted him on the shoulder and said, "Next time, we must pay attention to a balanced diet." You can't always snack. ”
In the blink of an eye, Liu Xiang was of school age.
Other children grow up dreaming of becoming doctors or teachers, but Liu Xiang feels that being a doctor requires surgery and injections, which makes him feel terrible.
At that time, he dreamed of becoming a soldier, the kind that could fly an airplane.
Liu Xiang is a natural athlete in school.
Although he is mischievous, sometimes so naughty that he is called a parent by his teachers, he has an extraordinary talent - running.
From the age of seven, he began training in athletics and shining on the sports field.
His speed and endurance are unmatched by his peers, and even more amazing, he also has an amazing performance in the long jump.
At the age of ten, a long jump coach took a fancy to his bouncing and explosive power and began to tailor practice plans for him, making him more and more proficient.
The athletic talent displayed so early allowed Liu Xiang to lay a solid and solid foundation in his later life.
Even in the most difficult stages of competition, he never forgot his beginnings. This is the spirit of Liu Xiang's life without regrets.
Liu Xiang won many competitions in which the coach noticed his talent, bounce and sense of rhythm. The coach recommended him to move to hurdles, which changed his life.
It was because of the hurdles that he met coach Sun Haiping.
Sun Haiping can be described as Liu Xiang's bole, and he discovered Liu Xiang's talent to the point.
Sun Haiping sees that Liu Xiang has great potential in athletics and long jump, but the most suitable for Liu Xiang is actually the hurdle event.
Sun Haiping accurately judged Liu Xiang's strengths, and then Liu Xiang trained hard day after day. To achieve great things, great efforts and sacrifices are required.
After determining the direction, Liu Xiang began high-intensity training.
He trained for hours a day, constantly practicing jumping, landing, and jumping over the fence.
Liu Xiang must put in hard work and sweat to achieve his great career in hurdles. After countless falls, failures, and exhausting trainings, Liu Xiang finally began to shine in the hurdles.
02. Fame
In 1999, Liu Xiang, who was only sixteen years old at the time, became a member of the national team.
It was a milestone in his athletic career and laid a solid foundation for his life.
In 2000, he competed in France and showed his talent on the international stage for the first time. Although he was still very young at the time, his performance already revealed extraordinary strength.
The following year, Liu Xiang participated in the World University Games and won his first world championship with his outstanding performance. This is undoubtedly a very good achievement for a young man who has just reached adulthood. His performance has attracted worldwide attention and attention.
From 2001 to 2004, Liu Xiang continued to break records in athletics and made history again and again. Everywhere he went, he caused a sensation and made people full of hope for the future of Chinese athletics.
As the only yellow-skinned athlete in the track and field competition, he has increasingly become the pride of the people of the whole country, and has won more honor and dignity for the Chinese.
Over the years, Liu Xiang's achievements not only belong to him personally, but also represent the struggle and efforts of the Chinese people.
His success is a microcosm of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is also a tribute to and worship for countless heroes who silently fought for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
2004 was the first peak of Liu Xiang's sports career.
That year, the Olympics were held in Athens, and this was the first time Liu Xiang stood on the Olympic Games.
For Liu Xiang, it is an honor to be able to participate in the Olympic Games, let alone to achieve good results in such an important event.
The players in this competition are all world-class top players.
Facing such a strong opponent, Liu Xiang does not feel afraid or nervous, because he knows his strength and potential.
At this moment, Liu Xiang was not afraid at all, waiting for the moment when the gun sounded.
At the moment he broke through the finish line, the myth of the men's 110-meter hurdles had already been created.
He won the gold medal in 13.06 seconds, breaking the Olympic record.
He broke records, broke world records and proved himself to be the king of the 110m hurdles event.
Liu Xiang's outstanding results at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games laid a good foundation for his sports career.
This year, Liu Xiang completed his transformation from a rookie to an Olympic champion, and began his legendary journey to conquer the Olympic arena.
Everyone was cheering for the myth, and Liu Xiang sat excitedly on the timer and waved his arms.
In the face of such achievements, he is not only excited, but also proud.
Because he proved to the world that Chinese can win the track and field championship and Chinese also win the gold medal in the hurdles!
Liu Xiang's heart has always been full of fighting spirit and tenacity, and he has worked hard to achieve his goals without relaxing.
At this moment, when he heard the cheers of the entire audience, this spirit reached its peak.
He sat excitedly on the timer, waving his arms and tears that couldn't stop pouring out.
At that moment, he felt infinite excitement and joy, as if all the hard work and effort had become worth it.
Liu Xiang is not only excited about himself, but also proud to represent China on the international stage and prove Chinese's strength with actual achievements. His achievement is not only a gold medal, but also the glory and pride in his heart.
He was proud of the brave and resilient people he represented, and he became their representative, showing the world the strength and courage of Chinese.
At this moment, Liu Xiang's heart is extremely open-minded and broad, and he is grateful to all the people who cheered him on and prayed for him, making him the winner of this competition.
At the same time, he is also grateful to those who have hit and questioned him, it is because of them that he can get more encouragement and strength, and become a stronger and more confident person.
His heart is like a sunny sky, radiating with courage, strength and hope, shining on himself and all those who cheer for him.
03. Pressure
After the Olympics, Liu Xiang has maintained a record in hurdles. Over the next four years, Liu won many gold medals in competitions.
However, day-to-day training can inevitably hurt the body, especially the wounds on the waist and legs. In order to realize his dream and not let the public down, Liu Xiang suffered too many injuries, and even vomited during training, and he only gargled and continued training.
Especially before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he not only had to strengthen training, but also participated in various competitions, and his physical and mental strength was extremely exhausted and stressful.
In May 2008, Liu Xiang won a gold medal in Osaka, Japan, but unfortunately withdrew from the Beijing Olympics due to a recurrence of an old injury to his right foot.
The race on his doorstep is a scene that Liu Xiang has always longed for in his heart, and he hopes to take this opportunity to show himself to the Chinese people and announce to the big world the strength of China's hurdles that cannot be ignored.
However, when reality was injected into this dream, Liu Xiang's heart was full of regret and loss.
Because the Beijing Olympics are the time to prove themselves at home, this makes Liu Xiang stressed and questioned.
He understands that Chinese audiences have very high voices and expectations for sports stars; And for a former Olympic champion like him, the expectation and pressure are even more unimaginable.
He doesn't want to disappoint the country and the audience, and he also wants to achieve excellent results again in his familiar environment and prove his strength and worth.
But fate played a joke on him, and he had to quit this game on his doorstep.
In addition to Liu Xiang's pain, regret and loss were also filled with his heart, and the whole nightmare lasted for too long.
He has done his best to train his physical strength and mentality, but this retirement is indeed a hurdle that cannot be crossed. He felt tired and depressed, but also deeply regretted and sorry for all the people who supported him.
The higher you climb, the heavier you fall.
It is obviously the moment when the pain needs comfort the most, but Liu Xiang has suffered endless blame and accusations.
Those who ascend to the altar must always stay on the altar, and failure means becoming the target of everyone's attack.
During those days, Liu Xiang felt the most helpless, facing all kinds of accusations and doubts, he had nothing to say, and for the first time experienced the indifference of people's hearts and the vagaries of the world.
Liu Xiang decided to rebuild, to bring himself back to his beloved leaping track.
However, the daily rehabilitation and pain made him feel extremely depressed and lost. He found that his body could not be as flexible as before, his feet could not be freely twisted, and his mood became dull and humble.
He lost his self-confidence, he felt that he could not return to his previous best state, he could only feel helpless and angry.
Gradually, he began to fully reflect on his career.
He thought for a long time, then tried to turn to his coach. The coach told him that success is not a failure or injury that can be easily won, but rather a constant failure and success in getting himself up and not afraid of difficulties.
So he began to re-understand his meaning and obligation, as well as his own values and goals. He steadfastened his commitment and determination and became more confident every step of the way.
Slowly, his pain lessened and his confidence and optimism climbed.
He felt that he was back to the state he wanted, he had a glowing point again, and the bits and pieces of the past were like an artistic life painting with color.
He is no longer afraid because he has taught himself how to bravely face difficulties.
The last time he rehabilitated, he passed, and the shining light for the future was once again lit in his heart.
He knew he was ready to get back on the runway for an epic picture.
Some believe that Liu Xiang will give up, or will not be able to create glory again.
But Liu Xiang's facts proved that these guesses were wrong.
Just a year later, he not only returned to racing, but also managed to win three consecutive victories in the 110 meters. He is back in his prime, creating the hurdle myth again.
In 2011, at the age of 28, Liu Xiang devoted almost all of his youth to sports and the country.
The 2012 London Olympics are about to begin, everyone is very confident that Liu Xiang will return to the field, and the people of the whole country are looking forward to him to create another brilliant victory on the field.
But history is often surprisingly similar, as at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Liu fell due to a recurrence of an old injury.
His right leg could not even stand up, and he could only jump on one leg and regretfully left the field.
Liu Xiang has not received adequate rest for many years, and since he was injured in 08, he has been intensifying his training even during his rehabilitation.
Perhaps this injury is to be expected again ...
On exiting, Liu Xiang jumped to the last hurdle on one leg and kissed every hurdle, knowing that this was his last Olympic event.
Finally, in 2015, Liu Xiang announced his retirement.
04. Nowadays
After retiring, Liu Xiang went through two marriages.
But the first paragraph ends in divorce.
On June 25, 2015, Liu Xiang, a famous track and field athlete, suddenly posted on social media that he and the famous model Ge Tian had decided to divorce.
Liu Xiang said in the post:
"Due to incompatible personalities, I ended this marriage today. I hope that each of us will have a good life in the future, and I wish each other. ”
As soon as the divorce news of Liu Xiang and Ge Tian was announced, it attracted widespread attention in society.
Many netizens expressed great regret, thinking that they were "fairy couples", and originally thought that they would grow old.
However, some people also pointed out that Liu Xiang and Ge Tian had great differences in personality, and the pressure and contradictions in married life increased significantly, which eventually led to the breakdown of their relationship, and their divorce was reasonable.
In any case, we hope that Liu Xiang and Ge Tian can go through this turning point in life safely and find happiness that truly suits them.
In 2016, Liu Xiang announced that he would get back together with his ex-girlfriend Wu Sha, and in September, Liu Xiang revealed in a show that he had obtained a license to marry Wu Sha.
The flash marriage and divorce immediately sent Liu Xiang to the cusp of public opinion.
Liu Xiang and Wu Sha have known each other since childhood, originally the training venue was close, and they developed from friends to lovers.
Wu Sha is 3 years younger than Liu Xiang and has athletic talent like Liu Xiang.
As a child, Wu Sha entered Wuhu Sports School and won the pole vault championship at the National Games at the age of 13.
At the beginning of 2016, Liu Xiang participated in the variety show "The Amazing Race".
When the program was recorded, Wu Sha appeared on the scene, and the staff coaxed Liu Xiang to propose to Wu Sha, Liu Xiang smiled shyly and said: "We are already married, what else to propose?" Liu Xiang picked up Wu Sha and spun around, and Wu Sha also hugged Liu Xiang tightly, her face full of happiness.
Life after marriage is simple but happy.
Liu Xiang's most common post on social media is food photos. Sometimes Japanese food, sometimes café, the photos show Liu Xiang and Wu Sha living in a two-person world. The funny or serious photos he sent were all taken by Wu Sha.
In their free time, Liu Xiang and Wu Sha still cook their own food at home.
Perhaps because he is really immersed in happiness, Liu Xiang's figure is gradually becoming rounded now.
In the late evening of September 23, 2022, Liu Xiang posted a rare dynamic on social platforms and shared his recent photos. His words reveal happiness and are accompanied by the word "Oh roar".
However, his appearance and figure have changed so much that netizens have exclaimed that they can't recognize it.
One photo shows Liu Xiang posing with a sculpture bird by a river. He took off his mask and smiled friendly.
His face was filled with "happiness".
His facial features have become more intimate and cute than before, although they have become a little fatter.
What is even more surprising is that Liu Xiang, once a famous track and field athlete, has been very strict in managing his body for many years.
Today, although his calf muscles are still developed, but his legs are thicker, his arms are thicker, and his fingers even show signs of edema, these changes are not surprising.
After all, Liu Xiang no longer maintains athlete-level intensity training after retiring, and with the increase of age, a certain degree of body shape changes are also expected.
Although Liu Xiang's choice to wear black clothes visually produced a thin effect, it still could not completely cover his bulging little belly.
This shows that even former top athletes cannot escape the fate of middle-aged fortune.
However, Liu Xiang's years of rigorous training have left him with an athletic physique that is still awe-inspiring.
Although his muscles are no longer as tight as they were when he was younger, the strength can still be seen.
After all, becoming an Olympic champion requires not only natural physical excellence, but also superhuman perseverance and determination.
From an Olympic champion to a 40-year-old uncle, perhaps we have too much to expect from him.
Recall the men's 110m hurdles competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Liu Xiang was forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury, a scene that is still vividly remembered.
In the face of pain and loss, he may have apologized to the Chinese many times in his heart, but in fact, he has already paid for the game and the result that he cannot regret.
However, if Liu Xiang is only viewed through the lens of "misfortune", this does not balance his achievements.
Liu Xiang, who won gold in the men's 110m hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the first time Chinese beat a black man in athletics, created a myth that belongs to the yellow race.
Therefore, we deserve to remember Liu Xiang more because of his efforts and achievements, rather than just because of an injury.
Liu Xiang's story also reminds us to pay more attention to the health and protection of athletes. Competitive sports put athletes in a dangerous state physically and psychologically, and are prone to accidental injuries.
We should seriously consider the long-term development of athletes, and their safety should be a shared responsibility of all of us.
At the same time, this also reminds us to cherish the efforts and sweat of every struggler, behind every achievement there is a process of giving and honing, we should respect and encourage these dreamers, give them due respect and support.
Liu Xiang is undoubtedly a legend in the history of Chinese sports, his efforts and achievements cannot be forgotten, we may all owe him justice, and he should look at his records and achievements in the history of Chinese and world sports from a more balanced and fair perspective.
I hope that Chinese athletes can continue to shine in the Olympic arena, they carry the expectations and blessings of countless people.
Every athlete has gone through countless trials and challenges on the way to becoming a world champion, but they have never given up, and have always maintained hard training and indomitable spirit.
Their pursuit and efforts are not only for themselves, but also for the honor of the country and the nation.
May this courage and conviction, the torch lit in every Olympic arena, never be extinguished.
Victory or defeat, they will be our proudest honor as Chinese, because they represent a new generation of struggle, courage and self-confidence.
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