Chinas Liu Xiang - Term Paper Example

Chinas Liu Xiang Introduction: In July 13, 1983, Liu Xiang was born in Shangai Eastern China. The name was suggested by his aunt who requested the parents to combine their names; his parents settled on Xiang that means” spreading wings to fly”. As a child, he was raised by his grandparents as the parents were busy with their work. Xiang started his athletic career when he was 12 years old after being encouraged by the teacher to venture in the high jump (Yi-Cheng, 2004). At the age of 15 years, Xiang was forced to quit his ambition of being a jumper as the bone test showed he couldn’t grow tall enough to be a professional jumper (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). It was Mr. Sun Haiping who motivated him to practice hurdles as his rhythm was good1. Xiang Career Journey At the age of 18, Liu started his moving career at world Championships Semifinal with a best record of 13.322. Unfortunately, his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. The Diagnosis became a grief to Xiang since he had much love for his grandmother. As a sign of honor and pride to the grandmother, Liu won the 110m hurdles that showed that a champion was on the rise. He received the death news of the grandmother during the 9th National Games in Guangzhou, southern China (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). Xiang swore that he would do all his best to win every competition. The determination to be the best motivated him to keep trying even after he suffered multiple injuries in the previous years. Liu in the 2004 Athens Olympics- The Chinese Hero After braking Renaldo Nehemiah’s 24 year world champion junior record in 100 hurdles followed with a bronze medal at the world champions athletics in 2003, Liu was now a candidate the 2004 Olympic. He qualified for the Athens Olympics after getting a record of 13.03 seconds in the IAAF Grand Prix race in Osaka, Japan. In 2004 in Athens, Liu became the first China’s Olympic men athletic with a record of 12.913. The winning gave a lot of attention to him in China and he became more popular. Chinese citizens in major cities were much overwhelmed with joy when Liu crossed the line with his arms and legs far ahead of his rivals to scoop the first ever gold medal in hurdlers. He became a hero across China as his image appeared on most billboards and the nations had huge expectations on him (Yi-Cheng 2004). The reason as to why so much attention was drawn to him was because there is the stereotype that Asians cannot run fast. As a result of the beliefs that people held, the media drew is attention to him since he proved otherwise. He was also the first Chinese to win a gold medal, and to make it even more interesting, he was Asian in origin. The effects of his victory lasted longer and will still last for more centuries because he showed people that people from the Asians can make it in athletics. The spirit to keep the world surprised also came from his efforts to retain the position as the best hurdler as well as a winning Chinese (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). Liu was also used by many television and other commercial sponsors and brands in advertising. The involvement in the various TV commercials made it possible for him to get wider coverage in the media. In addition to this, the field of media has greatly grown with the development in technology. The social media were a platform through which he gained a lot of recognition4. He also motivated other Asians to try athletics since he had made it. Liu was one of the hurdlers having won the 2004 Olympics gold medal. It is also critical to note that he suffered several injuries that reduced his performance. Some of his injuries were minor while there were others that were major. However, all of these injuries impacted him in one way or the other. It is challenging to have to go back to the competitions or training when one has an injury (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). As a result of this, China was playing safe in releasing him to participate since he needed time to recover. There are times that he even withdrew from the competitions even when he had qualified as a result of his condition5. The Achilles tendon injury made it difficult even to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Liu in the 2008 Beijing Olympics In the 2008 Beijing, Liu was still considered a favorite contender and his country had hopes of scooping another medal again. However, it was not to come by as he pulled out of the race as a false start due to an Achilles injury on his right foot. The injury shocked many spectators into silence as they couldn’t believe the news. In May that year, he had suffered a hamstring injury and he had battled with the injury for six years, even before winning his 2004 Olympic medals according to his coach (Hays, 2008). This devastating withdrawal made his coach cry at the press conference as he tries to explain the events after several doctors had tried all their best but they couldn’t help6. The news made many fans, especially Chinese to be furious and Feng Shuyong the head coach explained that Liu wouldn’t pull out of the race unless the pain was more intolerable (Hays, 2008). Unfortunately, Liu endured a lot of pressure to appear as the champions despite being seriously injured. His withdrawal devastated the nation’s chance of securing gold medals in their host country (Hays, 2008). This year made a difference after Liu pulled out of the Olympics preliminaries. He took a surgery in 2009 and this forced him to take longer to recover. The suspicions on whether he would continue with his athletics career started at this point after he took very long to recover (Hays, 2008). The subsequent trials after his first injury indicated dedication in his career. However, after many years of frustrations, he finally decided to retire and this pained most of his fans7. He even expressed regret on his social media platform indicating that he would have been very willing to continue, but his tendon injury has consistently “said no”. He came out to speak to his fans because he believed that they needed to know the truth and not be discouraged from joining the athletics sector. His efforts to remain in the field are very clear from when he got the injury in 2008. Pain more pain Source: file:///E:/xiang.htm Change of Social Status The 2004 Liu’s victory changed his life in all aspects. He became the household name as he appeared on televisions for advertisement, thereby becoming the public icon making him the role model for young generations. Whenever he went, he pulled crowd, especially women who admired him8. In fact, he is considered “yellow bullet” making him a big celebrity in China (Hays, 2008). At the same time, he is adored like a pop star in his country and many women wish to marry him and many men wish to be like him9. His fame changed his social life drastically, as he couldn’t walk freely in the street as he used to be without being noticed by the fans (Hays, 2008). At one point, Liu complains that he has money, but he cannot shop for he can only go places where the few goes and places that are more expensive and if given a choice he would like to an ordinary person than being famous (Hays, 2008). From the time of gaining fame, he has experienced social challenges to the point of not having adequate sleep due to pressure from fans and the media on performance10. Many cooperates came for his endorsement in advertising their products. One of the Chinese magazine estimate that Liu earns an estimated $8.97 to$ 10.2 million in endorsement in 2007; an insurance company valued his leg at $13.5 million (Hays, 2008) The 2008 withdrawal from the race shocked many Chinese fans and the sorrow rocked the nations. They felt disappointed and at the same time they felt sympathy for him as they could watch him anguishing in pain. Some fans became hostile to him complaining he had let down the nation and he should have crawled on his hands to finish the race. He was called a runaway soldier and committed a “cowardly act” that hurt 1.3 billion people compared to like a teacher who leaves his student in classroom alone to die of the earthquake (Hays, 2008). The critics from across the globe were a traumatizing event to the renowned athletic as he could not bear the shame and guilt of disappointing his citizens and fans across the globe. In fact, the government authorities ordered the media to stop criticizing Liu (Hays, 2008). Even though there are many people who thought that he was a failure for withdrawing from the various races, he took a step of bravery to protect himself so that many people can learn from him and he can continue inspiring them. As a matter of fact, all his efforts to remain in the field showed enough bravery. He has impacted the world and this has changed his social status in the world forever. In addition to this, China and all the Asians will be forever thankful for the success of Liu. His success will continue to inspire many people, those who are athletes and also non-athletes (Hays, 2008). Many people have also been motivated to work on their talents and make everything achievable. Looking at the steps to change in his life as an athlete, he has already achieved much at an early age (Hays, 2008). Becoming a role model in the society and a figure that people can look up to becomes part of his self-identity. Everyone in China and across the world sees him as a prestigious person in society and one who can mentor the young adults (Hays, 2008). Lie has also brought some positive social changing in showing the young adults that they should participate in activities that make them better. Looking at his life, he took his education seriously, but also found time to participate in athletics11. The youth and also the other adults ought to take his example and be productive in society (Hays, 2008). Even though he became a figure of national pride, Liu can be said to have impacted the lives of many people across the world. After the 2004 Athens Olympic, the Chinese media had greatly given more limelight to Liu. Interviews were organized, publicity, conferences had increased (Hays, 2008). He was considered a hero and the national broadcaster CCTV gave more limelight in terms of commercials and advertisement. Social, electronic and print media were full of Liu, and after 2008 Beijing withdrawal, publicity had declined although he could be seen in adverts. The commander of the CCTV almost broke down with the emotions at the moment[Cha25]. The media had known his injury, but kept the fans in darkness, but they had hoped for the best that they had all prepared well for the occasion (Hays, 2008). To his fellow citizens, he became their icon and pride of the nation. Many people started to associate with him as he gained public fame and celebrity. Men and women envied his life and some wished to be like him and even marry him. On the day of his 2004 gold medal victory many citizens were overwhelmed with joy to the point of crying as he became the first Chinese to win the gold medal in the hurdles (Hays, 2008). Liu will also have an opportunity to bring a great impact in China now that he is committed to completing his studies and developing the youth in China12. In as much as he has completely withdrawn from the sports, he will mentor and guide the talented people in China. His first impression that Chinese and people from the Asian origin can succeed in games is a good starting point (Hays, 2008). Furthermore, it will take a person with experience and skills to create a Chinese influence on the track and field internationally. The society in general will benefit from his skills in other ways other than getting medals. Through this, more people can succeed in games and even bring more medals back home13. From his experiences, the hurdlers will also be encouraged to tell their fans the truth and be open about what the public cares about. The perception about Asians in succeeding in games, especially athletics will completely change with time (Hays, 2008). The critical side It is believed that many people knew about Liu’s condition over the years, but they kept it in the dark in order to ensure that the fans were not disappointed[Cha25]. In addition to this, people made suspicions about his health condition, but he came out to explain that he was healthy. In 2012, it is believed that he was not in good health and even the media houses such as CCTV knew that he would withdraw but they kept it a secret (Hays, 2008). The leaders in China also knew about Liu’s condition, but they insisted that he should stay in the games in order to preserve the pride that China had gained. It is also claimed that Liu even left for Germany for treatment, but it was said that he had gone for training14. Such integrity issues can lead to negative reactions from the fans, if he was doing everything to please the leaders, and then his fans would feel offended because they were not told the truth. In as much as it would have been okay to keep some of these matters private, raising the hopes of the fans for nothing is disappointing (Hays, 2008). The media have also been keen on following up the reasons as to why the athlete kept the information about his health a secret or rather why it was fabricated by lies. He pressure mounted to the point that Liu came out to excuse himself that he was failing health before the race. The social media provide evidence about how much his fans are frustrated. For example, when Liu withdrew from the 2012 Olympics race more than 38 million fans posted on Sina Weibo calling him a “cheater”. The taxes of the citizens have also been used wrongly, but trying to protect the image of individuals and the country. At the end of the day, one realizes that there are very many people who contributed to facilitating his career. Most of these are the citizens who pay taxes, and the fans who keep him motivated, encouraged, and appreciated (Yi-Cheng, 2004). Therefore, the media failed in its role to let the people know the truth and holding a neutral position. It has also proven that the powerful people can cover up things, but not for so long. Some people have also said that the people who participated in protecting the real truth are equivalent to con men that are after the taxpayer’s money. The pain has not only been felt in China, but also in many more parts of the world since he was a world star. It is also important to consider that the anger that people received from his alleged lying and retirement can tarnish his reputation as well as that of China15. When the interests of the public are involved, it is always important to keep everything truthful because the status that one has can be reversed by society (Hays, 2008). The people who liked Liu could have appreciated if he told the truth about his injury and they would have been more supportive, other than bearing with lies for several years16. After all, he had already made some impact that could be appreciated better than lies. The lies also make his performance in the previous performances questionable because the people have lost their trust in him. The public also does not trust the media with giving the right information since it has the capacity to distort the truth (Hays, 2008). Chinese Media Chinese Audience and Foreign Media Many fans became disappointed to the point, leaving the stadium after he left the tract for they wished that Liu would once again win the medal. Foreign media also gave him more attention and publicity as he became a global icon[Cha25]. News anchors thrilled by his victory, looked for interview opportunities. In fact renowned media like BBC, CCN made documentaries for his achievement, lifestyle, and the withdrawal from the Beijing race. Liu victory meant a lot to Chinese as he became the first Chinese ever to win a track and field golden medal making the event a matter of national pride and a hero to his nation17. Foreign media also provide analysis and critics to his career journey (Hays, 2008). The stories about his victory have been covered domestically, and also by international media houses such as the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times among others (Hays, 2008). People and various media personalities have come out to give their thoughts about Liu’s retirement. The different reactions show the possible reasons as to why he retired and the impact that he has on the society (Yi-Cheng, 2004). Many people have been motivated to make a difference as a result of the hard work that Liu has in his career. There are other forms of media criticized his retirement, explaining that he could have quit a long time ago, but he was just buying time to do it (Hays, 2008). Liu was a hero to his nation, but the burning question is why he had to quit. The following possible reasons could have led to his quitting. Achilles injury: it was apparent that Liu was forced to withdraw out of the race due to his Achilles heel injury on his right foot. During training, he was seen limping and seems to be in a lot of pain. The intolerable pain forced the Chinese hero to walk out of the stadium causing confusion among the fans and officials (Yi-Cheng, 2004). At one point the stadium became quite as some spectators started walking out of the field since they couldn’t bear the shock that Liu was not able to finish the race. This was a condition that he had struggled with for several years without being treated fully despite consulting many Doctors (Hays, 2008) Many expectations from fans: Although Liu had an Achilles injury on his right foot; he was also experiencing pressure from the media, government officials and his citizens and fans. The pressure to excel China again in the Olympic was more than he could handle (Yi-Cheng, 2004). At one point their head coach admitted at the press conference that Liu was under pressure to deliver victory again to his country despite being in pain, the officials argued that if he cannot win a gold medal in China then his previous records and exceptional performance would be meaningless (Zhang Min, a professor of international studies at the People’s University). This was because his win in Athens eliminated the inferiority among Asian nations (Hays, 2008). Isolation/ stress: Although he was a role model and a celebrity, he left a life of isolation as he could only go to places where the selected few could go. “I go home and I go to the training facility,” (Yi-Cheng, 2004). “Two places and those two places are the safest for me” (Yi-Cheng, 2004). His social life has become lonely as he kept himself away from the public and could not even have a girlfriend as he can only get in touch with his friends through email and other social media. It is apparent that Liu was tired of this celebrity and lonely life and this could be the reason for him to opt to quit and venture into other things. At one point he said that he would like to retire and look after his parents. On the other hand, the death of his grandmother was also a big blow to him as he couldn’t bear the grief (Yi-Cheng, 2004). The other reason as to why the hurdler retired at an early age could have been the need to focus more on family. It is speculated that getting married made him to direct his energy more towards having a family (Yi-Cheng, 2004). After all, he had tried to start over for years with no success. As a result of this, getting married was another big experience for him. After a low of people took the marriage discussion to social media, it was said that Liu would soon retire. However, Liu kept everything personal and avoided discussions about it. The other possible reason is the number of years that he has taken to recover. The struggle has been tough, but even gaining the original speed would be difficult to achieve. In addition to this, after he first got the injury, he focused more on increasing his hurdling speed and did not take the injury seriously. There is also the fact that he stands a good chance of securing a very good job from his achievements and as an ex-athlete[Cha25]. What Liu’s victory meant to the Chinese? The accomplishment was a sign of inspiration to many young generations that the ordinary can become extraordinary (Yi-Cheng, 2004). At the same time, it proved wrong the critics that Asian countries can also shine in hurdlers. To be Liu Xiang in China means a lot to the Chinese for it brought the Chinese into the global limelight affirming that not only can they be better in games like boxing but be best in athletics activities like hurdlers. To the Chinese, the victory made many Chinese young generations to believe that they have a chance to shine and be whatever they want whenever they decides (Yi-Cheng, 2004). Significantly, the global recognition acted a sign of tourist attraction. The lime light greatly changed his life completely; everyone made him Chinese sport legend. The award winning athletic did attract many sponsorships and advertisers suitors. To the victory in 2004 was of great achievement to Liu as it was of honor to his grandmother and proved to the world that the impossible can become possible (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). Change in social media Newspaper: Liu’s was not a well-known person across his country and the globe. It was up to 2004 in Athens that Liu became a global figure and a Chinese hero who brought pride to his nation (Xu, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han, 2004). The newspaper became filled with his victory and lifestyles. This made many news vendors to have huge sales. The Gold medal winning and withdrawal at the Beijing is still global news (Yi-Cheng, 2004) Commercials: despite retiring out of the race Liu still remains a hero to his notions. The majority still considered him a role model who brought pride to his nation and cooperates still continue to endorse him but not as before his retirement announcement18. Upon his retirement, cooperates like Nike has paid tribute for accomplishment that Liu did, expressing how ordinary people can be able to achieve the extraordinary which greatly inspires future generations to always believe in the impossible and dream big (Yi-Cheng, 2004) Conclusion Liu Xiang became one of the top and most respected athletes in China. With strong determination and self-acceptance, the ordinary can be the extraordinary and anyone can be whoever they want to be. In summary, the paper explains that the people from the Asian origin can make it in athletics and Liu is a motivator for many young people. In addition to this, his effects as a Chinese hurdler will remain relevant for a long time and his commitment to develop talents in china will see more young people succeeding in the industry. Bibliography Cha25: , (Chang, 1015), Jeffry Hays. (2008). “Report Publications various Book Sources”. New York Times and Lonely Planet Guide. Xu, Yi-cheng, Ml Wei-guo, and Meng-han ZHANG. (2004). "An Analysis of Liu Xiang's Technique In 100m Hurdle Final at the Athens Olympic Games [J]." Sports Science Research 6: 011. Yi-cheng, X. U. (2004) "Analysis on 110m Hurdler Liu Xiang's Technique [J]." Sports Science Research 4: 011. Read More