Olympics, China, Liu Xiang
Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang was the gold medalist in the 110M hurdles in 2004, but had to drop out of the race in 2008 because of achilles issues.He was back for this year, but his achilles failed him once again, and he went down immediately after the race started, in obvious pain.
He started to leave the track, but changed his mind, and proceeded to hop on one foot and complete the race.
Well, partially. He obviously didn't clear any of the hurdles, but he did stop at the last hurdle to kiss it before crossing the finish line, where he was met by the other athletes.
He didn't get the gold that he wanted, but Xiang showed great heart and determination, and embodied what the Olympic spirit is all about. For that, I thank him.
8/8/12 |
JrCanuckFan
|
10050 respect
The video has been removed by the user, but I found it on YouTube, here. Thank you, Pat, for sharing this. This represents the true spirit of the Olympic games, not just Liu, but the other athletes who came to his assistance as he crossed the finish line. THAT is what the Olympics should be about, not throwing games to get a better match!!