Then, after it became clear that Liu was injured, that his hopes for Olympic glory had been ruined, the nation's pain set in abruptly. At a news conference, Liu's coach burst into tears explaining to the international media how his star pupil had been "trying to hold on, exerting himself to his utmost." When Sun Haiping added that Liu could barely stand before the race, despite the assistance of three doctors, Chinese reporters began sobbing as well.
Tears were followed by anger. Although the general coach of China's athletics team said Liu was forced to drop out because of a recurring problem with his Achilles tendon, droves of fans criticized the hurdler online, accusing the 25-year-old Shanghai native of letting the nation down. He "stained the motherland" by not finishing the heat, some said, adding that he should have crawled on his hands and knees if necessary.
Liu was China's hope for gold in the 110-meter hurdles, but his failure to qualify for the finals showed that he represented so much more. His gold-medal performance in Athens four years ago had made history in China -- which had never before won gold in a track and field event -- and proved that the Chinese could shine in sports traditionally dominated by the West. On Monday, in a single moment at the Bird's Nest stadium, it was as if the nation's pride and honor had been snatched away.
Liu's perseverance -- showing up to compete despite the pain -- raised questions about the enormous pressure placed on him by coaches, the public and even the country's leaders. Pictures of him have been splashed across magazines and billboards, his every move followed in the news media.
The hurdler's disappointment was so great that Xi Jinping, President Hu Jintao's likely successor as Communist Party leader, sent Liu a note of condolence Monday, according to the state-run New China News Agency.
Beijing seemed to be in mourning, as video clips of the tearful news conference with Liu's coach spread on the Internet. National sports commentators resorted to frenzied hyperbole.
"At noon, the collective sigh of the Chinese people became a hurricane which attacked Chinese sports heavily in one minute. The whole country lost its breath in that moment," sports commentator Li Tong blogged.
For decades, China has been known mainly for its skill at "small ball" sports such as table tennis and badminton. Liu had become a symbol of potential in other sports.
"Yao Ming is just as famous, but nobody expects him to win a gold medal," said Zhang Ming, a professor of international studies at People's University. "Liu Xiang's big breakthrough in track and field is not only for China, but all of East Asia. . . . His win in Athens helped eliminate a deep inferiority complex in Chinese people's hearts."
Liu himself wanted badly to run on Monday, his coaches said, but his face was contorted in pain even while he was warming up. After the race, he could be seen on stadium screens limping off the field, down a tunnel and into an empty area, where he sat down with his back against the wall, his head in his hands, alone.
"Liu Xiang will not withdraw unless the pain is intolerable, unless he has no other way out," said Feng Shuyong, general coach of China's athletics team and president of the Chinese track federation.
Xi's official telegraph to China's General Administration of Sport conveyed his sympathy and "warm courage" to Liu and his tearful coach and expressed hope that Liu would rest easily. "When he recovers," Xi added, "he should continue to train hard, strengthen his fighting spirit and gain bigger honors for the motherland."
Liu had suffered a hamstring injury in May that forced him to pull out of a race in New York. But no one realized he had such a serious injury to the Achilles tendon, sports commentator Li said in a telephone interview. Many Chinese, rather than feeling sympathetic toward Liu, felt cheated by him.
"It is very difficult for Chinese people to change their ideas about sports or to become more rational in a short time," Li said.
Many fans were upset that Liu's injury had not been made public earlier. Others virtually cast him off, noting that China already has more gold medals than any other nation at the Games.
"To be frank, we don't need a gold medal from you," said one critic from the southern city of Guangzhou, addressing Liu online at http://www.163.com, a popular news site.
Outside the Bird's Nest, people were shocked and disappointed but more sympathetic than those online. "I totally understand his injury," said He Chunxian, 32, a sports teacher. "What he achieved would have been almost unimaginable when I was training for track and field. If I were Liu, I'd rather give away millions to not compete in this game. I cannot imagine the pressure."
Li Bo, 50, a retired factory worker from Heilongjiang province, said Liu had become "a symbol of power, a symbol of 'Go, China!' "
"After he dropped out," Li said, "I almost lost my strength to continue watching the game."
China has a history of heaping expectations on athletes, in a country where sports are highly politicized and glory is collective rather than individual. Twenty years ago, the public abandoned gymnast Li Ning, who won gold in Los Angeles in 1984 but did not win a medal in Seoul in 1988. Now a billionaire sportswear entrepreneur, Li Ning was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron in this month's Opening Ceremonies.
One online user at Tianya, China's largest bulletin-board service, wrote that only weak nations pressure their athletes. "Liu Xiang pulling out is the beginning of China's maturity," the user wrote. "If people are naive enough to hope one person can support the dignity of the whole nation, then China is hopeless."
一位50岁的黑龙江退休工人李博说刘翔成为“一种力量的象征，一种‘中国加油’的象征。”
李说，“他退出后，我几乎没有力气再往下看接着的比赛了。”
中国一直以来对运动员报以很高的期望，这是一个体育高度政治化的国家，强调集体荣誉而不是个人荣誉。20年前，公众遗弃了李宁，因为他在1984年洛杉矶奥运会上取得了冠军但是却没能在1988年汉城奥运会上取得一块奖牌。现在，作为一个亿万富翁的运动服企业家，李宁被选作在开幕式上点燃主火炬。
在中国最大的论坛网站天涯上，一名网友写到只有弱国才会给自己的运动员施压。“刘翔的退赛是中国走向成熟的开始，如果人民天真的以为一个人足以支撑真个民族的尊严，那么中国就完蛋了。”
