Data map: In the men's 110-meter hurdles decisive battle at the Daegu World Athletic Championships, Liu Xiang won the bronze medal in 13.27 seconds.
Photo by Du Yang issued by China News Agency
Chinanews client, Beijing, August 18 (Xingchen Liu) The Tokyo Olympics came to an end on August 8. This sports event that has been waiting for 5 years has ended for 10 days.
"August 8th", for all Chinese people, this day can't be more familiar.
Turning the wheel of time back, 13 years ago, the Beijing Olympic flame was lit in the "Bird's Nest" on this day.
At the Beijing Olympics, if you ask people who are most concerned about, many people will probably answer: Liu Xiang.
Thirteen years later, when Liu Xiang's name was linked to the Olympic Games again, the tunnel of memory was opened. This time, warmth was the main theme.
In the men's 110-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, everyone suddenly discovered that the Olympic record was still 12.91. The creator was still Liu Xiang, who was born in Athens in 2004.
In fact, at the Tokyo Olympics, Liu Xiang's name was mentioned more than once.
In the men's 100-meter semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, Chinese flying man Su Bingtian set an Asian record with 9.83 seconds and successfully advanced to the finals. He was also the first Chinese flying man to enter the Olympic finals.
On the evening of August 1, at the New National Stadium in Tokyo, Su Bingtian advanced to the men's 100-meter final of the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 9.83 seconds, becoming the first Chinese to enter the 100-meter final of the Olympics.
This result is only 0.02 seconds slower than Bolt's victory in Rio.
In the men's 4×100m relay final, the Chinese relay team consisting of Tang Xingqiang, Xie Zhenye, Su Bingtian, and Wu Zhiqiang ranked fourth and failed to make the podium.
After the game, netizens expressed "I really want to add a medal to Su Bing".
Image source: Weibo screenshot.
Image source: Weibo screenshot.
"China Speed" has always been the label given to Su Bingtian in recent years.
On social media platforms, "Su Shen" and "Su Bingtian yyds" were screened by netizens, and all parties did not hesitate to applaud the veteran.
In everyone's eyes, it is not easy for a yellow-skinned Asian to make such a breakthrough on the track and field field with many masters.
It is also when Su Bingtian is running fast and the Chinese track and field team continues to make history, everyone can't help but think of Liu Xiang's name.
Data map: In the men's 110-meter hurdles final of the 11th National Games, "flying man" Liu Xiang won the championship with a score of 13.33 seconds.
China News Agency issued Chen Wenshe
In fact, after the 100-meter semi-finals, Liu Xiang expressed his congratulations to Su Bingtian and asked everyone to borrow some good luck to their junior brothers in the finals.
Just like 17 years ago, he cheered for himself when he set foot on the Olympics for the first time.
Su Bingtian, who walked off the finals, was still breathing heavily.
Facing the camera, he also talked about his big brother Liu Xiang.
"Usually I have a lot of contact with Brother Xiang (Liu Xiang). For himself, he is not only an idol, but also a god of luck." Su Bingtian's eyes are full of pride when it comes to this.
"Brother Xiang (Liu Xiang) is the pioneer of the Chinese track and field team. Without him, many of us might not have the idea-to stand in the Olympic finals, we Asians can also win the Olympic championship."
Su Bingtian expressed his inner evaluation of Liu Xiang.
Image source: Weibo screenshot.
So at the Tokyo Olympics 13 years after the end of the Beijing Olympics, the topic of "that apology was late" rushed into hot searches, and the protagonist was Liu Xiang, who has retired for 6 years and 4 months.
In August 2001, at the World University Games, a young man won his first world championship in 13.33 seconds.
At the Guangdong National Games in November, when he again won the 110m hurdles in 13.3 seconds, this Shanghai guy named Liu Xiang began to enter everyone's attention.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Liu Xiang was 21 years old at the time.
Although he made his debut in the domestic arena, for an Olympic rookie, everything will start from scratch in the men's 110-meter hurdles final.
On August 28, the Athens Olympic Stadium was very hot.
Compared with the state of other athletes, Liu Xiang, who will play in the 4th track, has a slightly indifferent look, but his face is somewhat "nervous".
Data map: On August 27, 2004, Liu Xiang broke the Olympic record in the Athens Olympic track and field 110-meter hurdles final with 12.91 seconds.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
But this is destined to belong to him, it belongs to the night of Chinese track and field.
When the starting gun sounded, all the tension dissipated in the air with a plume of smoke.
Liu Xiang rushed out like a red lightning, and after crossing the first hurdle, he established the lead, and no one could surpass it again.
At 12.91 seconds, he hit the line for the first time with an Olympic record.
After winning the championship, Liu Xiang raised his arms and greeted the Chinese audience in the stands under the five-star red flag.
And in China, which is more than 7,000 kilometers away and six time zones apart, everyone was caught in a carnival, celebrating the first men's sprint Olympic champion in China's track and field events.
Liu Xiang's name was remembered by too many people this evening.
At the award ceremony, Liu Xiang raised the national flag with both hands and jumped onto the podium, tears blending with the melody of the national anthem.
This scene may have become the first memory of a generation of Chinese track and field.
In the years after that, Liu Xiang, who created the magic again and again, became the most shining pronoun of Chinese sports.
In July 2006, in the IAAF Super Grand Prix Lausanne, in the men's 110-meter hurdles final, Liu Xiang won the gold medal with a time of 12.88 seconds, breaking the world record of 13 years of sleep.
Data map: On the evening of August 31, 2007, Liu Xiang won the gold medal in the men's 110-meter hurdles of the 11th World Athletics Championships, realizing the long-cherished wish of winning the World Championships.
Photo by Mao Jianjun sent by China News Agency
On August 31, 2007, in the men's 110-meter hurdle final of the 11th World Athletics Championships, Liu Xiang won the championship in 12.95 seconds. He became an Olympic champion, world championship champion and world record holder in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Slam winner.
An era belonging to Liu Xiang came quietly.
At his peak, he almost completed all the imagination of the Chinese in the 110-meter hurdles project.
While giving out countless praises, everyone was full of expectations for his performance in the Beijing Olympics, and his mood reached its highest point as the Olympics approached.
On August 18, 2008, in the men's 110-meter hurdles preliminaries for the Beijing Olympics, the "Bird's Nest" stadium was full of seats. Spectators dressed in national flags were waiting for the appearance of "Chinese Trapeze" Liu Xiang, and more Chinese people were looking forward to the TV. It seems that seeing Liu Xiang achieve his title defense at the door of his home has become an unnecessary dream for everyone.
Data map: On August 18, 2008, in the first round of the 6th group of the Beijing Olympic men's 110-meter hurdles, Chinese player Liu Xiang regretted withdrawing from the competition due to a leg injury.
Photo by Sheng Jiapeng issued by China News Service
"I have never seen Liu Xiang before on the track with this expression", facing the scorching sun, Liu Xiang's expression was painful as he walked onto the track.
Before starting to run, he slapped his right calf vigorously.
When the starting gun sounded, some players appeared to start the run.
After staggering a few times at the start, Liu Xiang tore off the number plate on his body and walked straight back to the athlete channel.
Due to the recurrence of the Achilles tendon injury, he chose to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics.
The news at that time was far less immediate than it is today. The Chinese people did not know why, they only saw Liu Xiang leaving the stadium before the start of the race.
At this time, everyone can no longer take care of other things.
For a time, the "Chinese trapeze" with countless auras was pushed to the forefront.
Everyone gave the title of "deserter" to this hero who has created countless brilliances. The impact of injuries on him was drowned in a lot of negative comments. The coach Sun Haiping even burst into tears at the press conference.
Data map: In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games men's 110m hurdles final, Liu Xiang finally won the championship in 13.09 seconds.
China News Agency issued Tomita photo
However, Liu Xiang did not choose to plead, let alone sink into it. He still worked hard on the runway he loved.
In the 2009 National Games, he won the championship in 13.34 seconds and achieved three consecutive championships in the men's 110-meter hurdles at the National Games.
In June 2011, at the Eugene station of the IAAF Diamond League, Liu Xiang ran a time of 13.00 seconds, which was his best result since 2008.
In 2012, Liu Xiang returned to the top of the rankings in the world men's 110m hurdles after 5 years.
Seeing the "Chinese Trapeze" gradually regaining his status, everyone is again full of expectations for his performance in the Olympics, eager to witness Liu Xiang's perfect "performance" in London.
As everyone knows, the time bomb of "injury" has been buried in Liu Xiang's body.
When he went to the London Olympics, Liu Xiang was 29 years old. After a lot of him, he has turned from a young boy to a veteran with injuries.
Data map: On August 7, 2012, in the men's 110-meter hurdles preliminaries for the London Olympics, Liu Xiang accidentally fell and missed the semifinals.
On August 7, 2012, at the London Stadium, the men's 110-meter hurdles preliminaries for the London Olympics, Liu Xiang debuted under the watchful eyes of the Chinese.
Unlike 4 years ago, Liu Xiang, who stood on the runway this time, had a familiar smile on his face.
Starting and accelerating, but when he crossed the first hurdle, Liu Xiang fell heavily to the ground, and soon he disappeared from the live broadcast.
When the other players finished the game and the camera focused on Liu Xiang again, he was still sitting on the ground, holding the Achilles tendon of his right leg with his hand, and the words on his face were not painful but rather relieved.
He knelt on the track and slowly lowered his head.
Different from turning around and leaving in 2008, Liu Xiang chose another way this time. Perhaps he knew that this might be his last Olympic Games.
Data map: On August 7, 2012 local time, in the men's 110-meter hurdles preliminaries for the London Olympics, Liu Xiang accidentally fell and missed the semifinals.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Dragging his scarred right leg, Liu Xiang jumped to the last hurdle with one foot, leaned down and sent a deep kiss.
Before the finish line, he received encouragement from his opponents. As an athlete, they knew Liu Xiang's mood at this time.
For young people, you can say "come again next time", but for Liu Xiang, the language seems a little weak at this time.
Finally, Liu Xiang sat on the wheelchair provided by the staff and disappeared into the athlete's channel.
This time, the Chinese people still used criticizing words to express their dissatisfaction.
The negative voices are not inferior to the Beijing Olympics 4 years ago, and all kinds of bizarre speculations are overwhelming.
Everyone has seen Liu Xiang's fall at the Olympics, but they don't know how much effort he put in during the four-year preparation cycle.
From the "Chinese flying man" in the minds of 10,000 people to the "losers" of the two Olympics among the population, everyone has forgotten all Liu Xiang's previous halo, breaking the world record once, breaking the Asian record five times, and breaking the Asian Games record three times ...
Data map: On the evening of May 17th, the 2015 IAAF Diamond League-Shanghai started at the Shanghai Stadium. "Chinese Trapeze" Liu Xiang appeared in the 80,000 people stadium, held a brief ceremony and walked around the stadium to bid farewell to his favorite sport .
Photo by Zhang Hengwei issued by China News Service
On April 7, 2015, Liu Xiang officially announced his retirement. The legend of a generation of Chinese track and field ended. He also slowly faded out of everyone's vision.
But the sports career will not stop its own pace. Chinese track and field ushered in a new group of athletes with dreams.
Over time, the audience saw their achievements and at the same time experienced the hardship the athletes suffered in preparing for the battle.
So when Su Bingtian had a battle of the gods in the 100-meter semi-finals, everyone was full of praise; when the relay team regretted not waiting for the podium, everyone regretted the soon-to-be 32-year-old veteran.
Su Bingtian and Wang Chunyu, who broke into the women's 800-meter final, both mentioned Liu Xiang's name after the match and thanked him. In their eyes, Liu Xiang is the pioneer of Chinese track and field.
Image source: Screenshot from the official website of the Tokyo Olympics.
As a result, Liu Xiang, the name that was once respected by the majority of the Chinese people and who personally shattered the "myth", once again returned to the public's sight, and a number of topics such as "I owe Liu Xiang an apology" and "It was broken by Liu Xiang's sentence" etc. Hot search on it.
In fact, Liu Xiang had already let go of this apology.
"In fact, there is no need for everyone to apologize to me. As time goes by, everyone will find out that the athletes are very real and will not play on the field." This is Liu Xiang's heartfelt words in the previous interview. The years have not left on his face. With too many traces, facing the camera, he still speaks for all the athletes.
Today, China is moving from a sports power to a sports power.
The Chinese people's attitude towards sportsmanship and athletes has also undergone tremendous changes.
From Liu Xiang to Su Bingtian, from the "condemnation" after the defeat to the encouragement after the game, everyone has long realized that the ultimate meaning of the success of competitive sports is not to be on the highest podium, but to constantly strive to surpass themselves.
The gold medal is certainly gratifying, and it is also the goal pursued by all athletes in the Olympic arena.
In the face of arduous training and injuries that may come at any time, athletes can set foot on the Olympic Games is already a success.
This is true for young players who are beginning to show their talents, and even more so for veterans who have been on the battlefield.
It is not only the gold medals that truly deserve our respect, but more of the athletes who have worked hard and have no reservations on the court.
On August 6, in the men's 4X100m relay final of the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese team consisting of Tang Xingqiang (right), Xie Zhenye (second from right), Su Bingtian (second from left) and Wu Zhiqiang (left) won the first place with a time of 37.79. Four.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Du Yang
At this Tokyo Olympics, we will give encouragement to the "post-00" teenager Lu Yufei's mistakes, and we will also give applause after Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen regrets losing the gold medal...
When the slogan "we win together and carry it together" ceases to remain a slogan, the beautiful picture of sports has been painted more colorfully.
The closing of the Tokyo Olympics means that the Paris Olympics has been put on the agenda.
Perhaps three years later, veterans will not reappear on the field. After all, there will be a small number of people on the podium, but we still have to applaud all the athletes who have worked hard.
Because they have exhausted all they have.
From Liu Xiang to Su Bingtian, a span of 13 years ended in success.
(Finish)