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On August 9, Beijing time, in the men's 110-meter hurdles final at the Paris Olympics, American athlete Holloway won the gold medal with a time of 12.99 seconds. This also means thatNo one broke Liu Xiang's Olympic record of 12.91 seconds in the men's 110-meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics. If anyone wants to break his Olympic record, they will have to wait until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.In other words, the Olympic record of "Chinese Flying Man" Liu Xiang will remain for at least 24 years.

"12.91 seconds! Liu Xiang tied the world record! A world champion with black hair and yellow skin is born!"

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, the excitement of "Liu Xiang! Liu Xiang won!" resounded throughout the stadium. Liu Xiang, 21 years old at the time, won the men's 110-meter hurdles championship with a time of 12.91 seconds, setting a new Olympic record. In the previous short-distance track and field events, no yellow man had ever stood on the highest podium.

Liu Xiang. Source: People's Daily

Liu Xiang was born in Shanghai in 1983. He practiced high jump since he was young and won the Shanghai Youth Championship. Liu Xiang once said: "If I can grow to 2 meters, I will still practice high jump." But he only grew to 1.88 meters, so he changed to hurdles.

At the 2001 Beijing Universiade, the 18-year-old Liu Xiang emerged out of nowhere and won the championship with a time of 13.33 seconds.After the game, Liu Xiang said:"Three or four years later, when I reach the peak of my athletic career, I will be confident that I will break the Asian record of 13.20 seconds!"

The story went beyond expectations. The following year, he ran 13.12 seconds at the IAAF Grand Prix in Switzerland, breaking the Asian record. Three years later, he even climbed onto the highest podium of the Olympics and set Olympic and world records.

In the men's 110-meter hurdles final of the 21st World University Games in 2001, Liu Xiang (center) won the championship with a time of 13.33 seconds. Source: Xinhua News Agency

But behind the honor lies the sweat and pain of a champion. At that time, Liu Xiang suffered from a disease called "bursitis", which made his Achilles tendon gradually become brittle and inelastic, and in severe cases, it would even rupture.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Liu Xiang fell while crossing the first hurdle and ruptured his Achilles tendon. After returning to the rest area, he insisted on jumping to the finish line on one leg, kissing the hurdle, bidding farewell to his sports career and giving an explanation to everyone.

On April 7, 2015, Liu Xiang officially retired.

Liu Xiang. Source: People's Daily

Although Liu Xiang has retired, he still inspires many Chinese athletes.

In an interview after the final, Su Bingtian expressed his gratitude to Liu Xiang for his continued encouragement and support.

Su Bingtian said: "For the Chinese track and field team, Liu Xiang is a pioneer. If he hadn't appeared, many people might not have‘Asians can also stand in the Olympic finals and win Olympic championships’I hope that my sixth place in the Olympics today can also encourage young athletes.”

In the women's tennis singles final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chinese player Zheng Qinwen defeated Croatian player Vikic 2-0 to win the championship. This is the first time that a Chinese tennis player has won the Olympic women's singles championship.

After winning the championship, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen revealed that she had been watching the video of Liu Xiang winning the championship in Athens before the game. "I watched the video of him winning the championship in the 2004 Athens Olympics many times, and it has been motivating myself. Because I saw an interview with him, he said that he won the gold medal at the age of 21, which was the peak of his life. Then I thought that I am also 21 years old this year, and today, 20 years later, I am standing on this field. I think I can do it too."

Xu Zhuoyi, who became famous in Paris for "hurdling with glasses", also said, "Brother Xiang is my goal. The Olympic record he set 20 years ago is still here, which is also an inspiration to me. Now my goal is to work hard to catch up with him."

Source: Jiupai News, Western Decision, People's Daily, CCTV News, Shangguan News, Xinhua News Agency, etc.