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Sat 08 Aug 2008Victory will avert China crisis
LIU XIANG PROFILE: Clifford Coonanin Beijing reports on the enormous pressure building on the high hurdler to retain his Olympic crown
HANDSOME, CHARMING, intelligent and very, very fast, champion hurdler Liu Xiang is China's secret weapon. An Olympic hopeful who bears the hopes and dreams of 1.3 billion people on his shoulders, Liu is a man who is simply not allowed to lose. Sometimes a country's expectations and desires crystallise into human form in the shape of an athlete, a football team, even occasionally a politician or a rock star.
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