What they say

"Although he approaches training and racing very seriously every time, he is actually far from a perfect person in daily life. He appears careless sometimes, as he usually forgets things. He is a bit lazy in cleaning and organizing his belongings, so his room always seems in a mess. Sometimes he remembers he has left his training gear in the hotel room at the last minute as we leave for the next destination."

Shi Dongpeng, Liu's retired former national teammate, who trained with him for many years.

"Liu Xiang's athletic success was overpromoted and excessively raised as a symbol of the country's power on the world stage, which was far beyond what he could shoulder himself. He had no choice but to risk his health by racing in London (due to the nation's expectations). It's unfair to pour all the criticism on him alone. Since that moment, his athletics career has been close to its end."