Word: liu
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...race all of China - and, no, this is not journalistic hyperbole - was waiting for. On Aug. 18, under a hazy Beijing sky, Chinese megastar Liu Xiang was supposed to cruise to victory in heat six of the 110-m hurdles' first round. His competitors were, frankly, uninspiring - the man with the second fastest personal best, after Liu's 12.88 sec., was a Dutchman who had clocked in a relatively leisurely 13.35 sec. This was going to be the moment of glory for a man for whom a Beijing gold medal was the foremost wish among the Chinese people, according...
...when the starting gun went off, Liu was missing from Lane 2. Minutes earlier, during a warm-up set of hurdles, Liu had grabbed his right leg, wincing in pain. As the 25-year-old returned to the starting blocks, his face was clenched in a grimace. The nearly 91,000-strong crowd, which had gathered at the Bird's Nest stadium to watch China's most beloved Olympic athlete, couldn't see Liu's contorted facial expression, so his fans continued to wave their national flags. Then, a false start. Liu took a few brave steps...
...nation was paralyzed with shock. Even the announcers on Chinese television didn't know what to say, letting silence wash over the airwaves. In postrace news wrap-ups, at least two Chinese journalists choked up, unable to describe what had just happened. The violin strains that accompanied montages of Liu's Olympic journey felt more suited to a state leader's funeral than to a race averted...
...Liu's feat marked the return of a once-fearsome Chinese women's swimming squad. In 1994, a fleet of well-muscled Chinese dominated the pool at the Asian Games. But the secret to China's success was soon exposed: drugs. Seven of China's Asian Games swimmers tested positive for banned substances and were stripped of their gold medals. That ignominious streak extended to the 1998 World Championships, where four more Chinese swimmers were caught using drugs...
...Liu is China's only swimmer to strike gold these Olympics. But the Chinese team has performed impressively. On August 10, Zhang Lin made history as the first Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming medal when he claimed a silver in the 400m freestyle. The Chinese women's squad also scored a second-place finish in the 4x200m freestyle relay, while Pang Jiaying contributed a bronze in the women's 200m freestyle. And the Chinese may not be done yet, with several key races in the next few days. With seven swimming gold medals as of the afternoon...