Victory 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.

When these aspirations crash and burn, it can take a nation weeks to recover - think of Ireland's underachieving soccer side. But when they succeed, it can inspire a country to work towards greatness.

Liu has become an incredibly important political figure, whether he likes it or not, and he has to defend his Olympic title successfully or the psychological repercussions could be immense.

Liu is training in secret, no doubt away from the public attention that could prove his undoing, if he's not careful.

When Liu won the 110-metre hurdles in Athens four years ago, there was genuine disbelief in China - he had overcome the supposed genetic limitations whereby Chinese people would always struggle in track-and-field athletics. The Chinese were good at gymnastics, at table tennis, at diving, but were not their legs too short for track and field, in particular the sprints? That was for the Americans and Europeans, not the Chinese.

His success in a traditionally "non-Chinese" sport means he is emblematic of the New China the Games are supposed to showcase. He shows how this emerging country is keen to participate and compete in every area, not just the disciplines to which China has traditionally been confined.

Liu was still a relative unknown in 2004, so much so that one Greek commentator could only describe the athlete who had just run the 110-metre hurdles in 12.91 seconds as "a Chinese man".

The soft-spoken Liu keeps a low profile, but he did say after the race: "I'd just like to correct one prejudice. Please don't believe that Chinese, or any Asians, can't be as good at sprints as Americans or Europeans."

In China, disbelief turned to joy, and the Shanghai-born Liu is now neck-and-neck with Houston Rockets basketball star Yao Ming in the popularity stakes. He took the Olympic torch from President Hu Jintao in Tiananmen Square in March.

Liu has held the world record in his sport and is simultaneously World and Olympic champion. He's the real deal.

He advertises everything from milk to Nike, who make a bespoke pair of spikes for him called the Nike Zoom Aerofly LX, as well as Cadillac and Coca-Cola and is on every hoarding and on the side of every bus and features in countless TV ads.

When there were riots late last month as the final tickets for the Games went on sale, you can be sure that most of those that had queued three days and nights to get tickets had Liu's big race on August 21st in mind.

The son of a driver and a waitress, Liu earns around €2 million a year, although he earns a lot more from endorsements, half of which goes to the Chinese government in the form of the "voluntary" contribution all Chinese athletes, including Yao Ming, are expected to make.

He studies Law in Shanghai and came up through the sports-school system that has produced all China's star athletes.

But he worked his way into the system, and his personality is also very New China - in contrast with the reserve traditionally displayed by the gymnasts. Liu goes to karaoke bars, is a well-known flirt and is proud of his own achievements.

His popularity is difficult to characterise, a mixture of the kind of adulation David Beckham used to get and a truly fervent kind of patriotism.

To children, Liu is known as the sixth Fuwa - the other five of Beijing's cuddly Olympic mascots are called Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. He is Xiangxiang. Ask anyone on the streets and you will meet adulation pure and simple.

"Liu Xiang is the pride of China, the pride of Chinese people. He is my Olympic idol. He is a very nice person. I still remember after the Sichuan earthquake, a little boy who lost his arm called Liu Xiang, and he told him in a very soft voice to listen to doctors and take good care of himself," said Chen Xiaoyun, 19, an Olympic volunteer from Heilongjiang. She described him as "handsome and confident" before admitting, only partly in jest, that she wanted to marry him.

Wu Qiang, 26, a computer engineer from Beijing, believes Liu is shouldering too much pressure right now.

"All Chinese people are paying a lot of attention to him. But anyway, I hope he will win the gold in Beijing. I believe he will win the greatest glory for our country," said Wu.

Tian Guangyu, 42, a taxi driver from Beijing, describes Liu Xiang as "tai niu", which translates as "really bull" and means amazing.

"He makes Chinese people very proud of themselves because he is the first person of the yellow race and Chinese to win the gold medal in athletics. I am sure he will win again," said Tian.

"Four years ago, I and my son got up in the midnight to watch his competition. We were too excited to sleep after he spurted to the final line. He made a new world record. I am looking forward to seeing him to win again," said Tian.

He and hundreds of millions of others.