New wave of heroes can expect to cash in

Sterling performances from a new generation of Chinese athletes has seen their market value surge.

But they still have a way to go to fill the void left by Liu Xiang.

When Liu, the 110m hurdles gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, announced his retirement in April due to a heel injury, experts did not expect anyone to step up and fill his shoes anytime soon - much like two other Chinese sporting icons, basketballer Yao Ming and tennis star Li Na.