Withdrawal worries fans

China's hurdling hero Liu Xiang withdrew from his last warm-up event ahead of the London Olympic Games due to a back strain. His withdrawal has made the public anxious, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Very few withdrawals from an Olympic warm-up event have attracted so much attention. Worries about Liu's prospects in the coming Games can be partly attributed to his withdrawal from the 2008 Beijing Games, which disappointed many people as he'd been performing very well up until then. Fans are becoming increasingly sensitive to any small injury problem as the Games draw near.

Liu and his team may have some tactical reasons for withdrawing from the event, but if so they have underestimated the effect his withdrawal would have on the public.

Naturally, the public anticipated the warm-up race as a good test of Liu's prospects, as he would have lined up against some of his major rivals.

Let's hope that if Liu has strained his back he recovers quickly and regains full fitness as soon as possible so he can perform at his best at the London Games.

(China Daily 07/20/2012 page9)