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Liu Xiang: This is for grandma
Liu Xiang became a hero and idol after he won the 110-metre hurdles at the Athens Olympics Games - the first Chinese track-and-field athlete secure gold.
He broke the long monopoly held by African, European and American athletes - and set the standard for his Chinese proteges with desires on gold in 2008. But the champion has revealed that his success is not just down to long, hard hours on the running track coupled with a steely determination to be the best. He is driven mostly, he says, by memories of his grandmother. Like many children in China, Liu was cared for by his grandparents for much of his youth because his parents were busy working. And like grandparents the world over, they cherished the opportunity to dote on their grandchild and reported to his parents that their tall sibling was eating more and more and grow faster and stronger thanks to the regular rigorous sports training. "Before the training, he always had a poor appetite," his grandfather recalls. "He no longer caught colds that easily as he had done before. "The boy always looks so hungry since he began physical training." His grandma cooked a special dish that she believed would give him the energy required to sprint down a track and leap over obstacles. Specially braised pork in brown sauce has been a favourite of the athlete ever since - that and chocolate, for his grandparents also sneaked sweets into Liu's school bag. In August 2001, just before he left for the 21st World University Games in Beijing, tragedy struck. His grandmother, Chen Xiubao, his leading light, was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. Grief overwhelmed him, but his emotions were also mixed with a burning desire to repay his grandmother's love. This debt of the heart, he says, enabled the then 18-year-old to win the 110-metre hurdles, a milestone in his career - and a message to the world that a champion was in the making. Liu's father remembers with clarity the day his son arrived home from the games. "He rushed to the hospital immediately after getting off the train. "He gently propped up his grandmother, tenderly hung the gold medal round her neck, and held it so that the medal would not become too heavy for his grandmother," Liu senior recalls. Despite being in great pain, Liu's grandma's face filled with joy as she inspected her grandson's first gold medal in an international competition. Two months later, Liu was claiming his second major win at the Ninth National Games. A day before he was due to return home, he received news that his grandma had died.
Though she had been ill for sometime, her death still came as a shock for Liu. Stricken by deep sorrow, he swore that from then on, he would do his best to win every competition - only gold would suffice to pay fitting homage to his grandmother, and act as a way to console his grandfather. Few would query Liu Xiang's loyalty to his oath. Whenever he is back in Shanghai after intensive training or a competition, he visits his grandfather, Liu Zhikuan, now 87, and tell him about his training, his life, and the two talk fondly about his grandma. Parental love Of course, Liu is devoted to his parents for their ceaseless help and support. And they in turn, adore their son, who has grown up to be a champion of the world. An only child, Liu Xiang was born in Shanghai on July 13, 1982. The extended family gathered together to discuss what name they should give to the baby. His aunt suggested his parents combine their surnames. This was fine as his mother's name means harmony. "But it immediately occurred to me that if someone adds the word 'sheng,' it would sound as 'Liu Jisheng," - meaning one who always fails to advance in school!" says Liu's mum, Ji Fenhua. They finally opted for "xiang," meaning "spreading wings to fly." Half a head taller than his peers, Liu was encouraged by his sports teachers to become a high jump athlete when in his second year at primary school - a move that caused discord for his parents. "I didn't want our son becoming preoccupied with sports. He was doing ever so well in school, always scoring high in exams and ranking among the top three in his class," recalls mum Ji, a retired pastry cook at the Shanghai Food Processing Factory. But Liu Xuegen, Liu's father, a driver with the Shanghai Waterworks, believed it was a good idea for the young lad to receive the discipline that comes with sports training. "He was too thin and seemed to walk in a strange way," Liu senior recalls. So Liu was allowed to train for the high jump after class. Today, it is no small wonder to learn that the budding athlete was winning the junior track and field tournaments, out jumping his peers. His firstcoach, Gu Baogang, was impressed by his aspiring protege. "The boy had excellent flexibility and great speed. But he also had the most important attributes required to be a great track athlete - a willingness to train hard with competing heart and soul," Gu says. Fearless, Liu Xiang was always the first to volunteer to attempt a jump as coach Gu raised ever higher the bar. He would jump time and time again until he succeeded - a determination that often resulted in bruising. Liu shifted to hurdles in 1996 almost on a whim, winning with ease the 110-metre hurdles during a local secondary school tournament. Watching was Liu's current coach Sun Haiping. "I was surprised to learn the boy had been a high jumper," says Sun. Pinching the boy's muscles in a gesture of disbelief, Sun asked him: "Have you ever thought about hurdles full time?" The rest, as they say, is glorious history. "Hurdles is probably the most unpopular among all sports for kids as it has comparative technical difficulty," Sun adds. With support from those he loved and now under the expert wing of a devoted coach, Liu was allowed to develop and to harness all his inner strengths. And it is this devotion to both his sport and his loved ones that makes Liu stand out from the crowd. He is a young man of endearing contradiction. He is strong, the fastest on earth in his sport. Yet his outer-strength masks a sensitive man. Unlike some spoiled peers of the "only child" generation who take things for granted, Liu Xiang learned from an early age to take care of his grandparents and parents. He helped his grandparents around the house, cleaning and doing the shopping. "My parents led a simple life, devoting themselves to me," says Liu. His mum recalls how worried her then 9-year-old son became when she returned home late one night. "I went to the bathhouse with colleagues after work, but forgot to tell my husband I would be home a bit late." And it was her son's loud crying that welcomed her when she returned. "He said he felt so desperately worried about me as I wasn't home at the usual hour - and that he was thinking about all sort of dangerous things may have happened." East, West, mum's best On the Mothers' Day this year, Liu had just finished an international tournament and returned home planning to buy a bunch of carnations for his mother. But suddenly he changed his mind. "The love for my mother persists every day and night," explains Liu. "There is no difference between other days and Mothers' Day for me on which to show her my respect and admiration." So his gift was simplified into simple words, as his mum recites: "Mum, I wish you forever young." There are many accounts of people from humble backgrounds who become rich and famous and then crash-land in an emotional wreck because what originally drove them had been exploited and drained. But this is unlikely to happen to down-to-earth Liu. Liu's modest family home has a cabinet displaying all his trophies. His historical success in Athens will definitely bring fame and wealth for the young man who has captured the nation's heart with his sprinting and leaping. But Liu's feet are firmly rooted to floor when he considers his new-found stardom : "Money is not the only thing," he says. A larger house for his parents is the only important item on his short lists of wants. The champion and his parents have been living in a two-room apartment in the eastern port city. Their neighbours have followed closely his every success at home and abroad. After he won gold at the Busan 2002 Asian Games, the neighbourhood gave a celebration feast in the office of the residents' committee. Each household cooked a dish for the boy next door. Being the fastest hurdler on the planet is not the only talent Liu harbours. He is said to be an excellent amateur singer. And the champion is also a keen coin collector, with specimens from around the world in his collection. He has a penchant for yogurt and potato chips, but pork braised in brown sauce remains an indispensable part of his daily diet. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and any girl with designs on the young sporting hero may do well by learning how to cook freshwater shrimps, another dish favoured for its nutritional benefits. Of course, many are now wondering what kind of girl would suit this - quite literally - dashing young man. One can almost sense the suspense among the nation's young ladies when Liu ponders his ideal partner. Alas... "There is not enough time for me to set up a close relationship with a girl. And it is too early to talk about it now," he says. But he does, however, reveal some important attributes he will look for when the time is right. "She must be kind to my parents. She has to be smart, but doesn't have to be beautiful - but she must be virtuous." Grandma would no doubt had approved.
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