Liu Xiang shock pullout from Beijing Olympics

Liu Xiang pulled out of the Olympics before clearing his first hurdle today, suffering “intolerable” pain in his right leg in front of a stunned crowd at the Bird’s Nest and many in the nation beyond.

Liu barely got out of the blocks and immediately started hobbling in the first heat of the 110-metre hurdles. It didn’t matter it was a false start. Something snapped in his physical resistance after months of uncertainty about an inflamed hamstring.

“Liu Xiang would never have pulled out unless the pain was intolerable and he had no other option,” said Feng Shuyong, the head coach of the athletics team.

The Chinese had expected more from this opening heat than most Olympic finals. After all, Liu carried their best hopes to celebrate gold in the games' iconic stadium.

The 25-year-old Liu had been training in seclusion for weeks amid questions whether he would be fit.

Today, however, it was a foot injury which compounded the problems and forced him out.

“Last Saturday, Liu Xiang was in very good shape,” Feng said.

Then, suddenly, his injury worsened.

After the false start, Liu ripped off his starting number from his leg, took off for the tunnel and walked into the bowels of the stadium, out of the Olympics he was supposed to dominate.

Inside, he leaned his back against a blue-and-white board bearing a Beijing 2008 logo. Feng said he was “very depressed”.

Chinese fans in the stadium looked up at the big screen in confusion. One man, with a flag painted on his cheek and a small plastic flag in his hand, stared, mouth agape.

It was the last thing the nation of 1.3 billion had expected.

“Everyone expected him to do well,” Feng said. “The Chinese people will understand.”

Already hurting coming into the stadium, it took an Olympics in his home nation to get into the starting blocks anyway, knowing he had no hope to go through four races in four days to take gold.

“That is the thing. When you see the crowd, you realise why he had to come out,” said Allan Scott, who was amazed when he looked across the lanes and didn’t see Liu ahead of him in the final heat.

Liu had competed rarely this year and in June saw his world record fall to Dayron Robles of Cuba.

Trouble immediately showed when he warmed up. Stopping after two hurdles in the warmup, he crouched down and walked gingerly back to the starting area.

He took off his red shirt when others were lining up behind the blocks. For a man known for his composure and meticulous pre-race routine, this was exceptional, a sign of major trouble ahead.

The crowd of 91,000 still let out a huge roar when the name “Liu Xiang” was announced, but it was not the same athlete that won gold in Athens four years ago. Some fans were waving the red Chinese flag, one in each hand, but nothing could help now.

“We worked hard every day, but the result was as you see and it’s really hard to take,” said Liu’s coach, Sun Haiping.

When the announcement was made to the fans, the collective groan of disappointment sucked all the enthusiasm out of the stadium.

He was not the only casualty of the day.

Running in that same doomed inside lane one heat earlier, Terrence Trammell of the United States was fast out of the blocks, looked good over the first obstacle and suddenly stepped aside, slapping his hand and clutching his left leg.

It left both the defending champion and the silver medallist from Athens out without finishing a race.

Ahead of Liu, Robles won his heat in 13.39 seconds to go through, well off his world record time of 12.87 but loose and confident.

“I am going to do what Usain Bolt did,” he said of the Jamaican’s world record in the 100 final. “The track is perfect. Anything is possible.”

Together with Bolt’s race, Lius event was supposed to be the highlight of the track programme at the Olympics.

Bolt returned to the Olympic track early today, qualifying for the 200 quarterfinals in his search for a golden triple.

Under a sparkling blue morning sky, the 100 champion and world record-holder eased through his fifth race in four days, happy to let victory go to Rondell Sorillo of Trinidad and Tobago since the top three from each heat automatically advance.

Setting the 17th qualifying time of 20.64, Bolt seemed more interested in playacting with the stadium cameras, relaxed as ever.

American rivals Shawn Crawford and Wallace Spearmon also had little trouble advancing to the quarterfinals, held today, although Walter Dix struggled throughout before finishing second in his heat. The semifinals are set for tomorrow ahead of Wednesday’s final.

Overall, Jamaica could be looking at six golds in sprint events after Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser combined to sweep the 100s so far. Bolt is overwhelming favourite in the 200 and Veronica Campbell-Brown wants to extend her title from 2004 before the weekend relays set up more US-Jamaican duels.

World and defending champion Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt kept on track for their golden clash in the 400, both easily going through into tomorrow’s semifinals. Both jogged home to win their heats.

“No surprise. He’s ready, I’m ready,” Merritt said. “It’s time for a showdown, a throwdown.”

The pair of US sprinters finished 1-2 at the 2007 world championships and own the year’s two best times. Wariner has said he intends to break the world record of 43.18 of Michael Johnson — who now serves as his manager.

The 400 semifinals are tomorrow, the final on Thursday.

Later today, Yelena Isinbayeva was the overwhelming favourite to defend her pole vault title despite this season’s emergence of US rival Jenn Stuczynski. And there were hopes that the Russian would get track a third world record in as many days at the games.

She has improved twice on her mark this season, bringing it to 5.04 metres.

After Bolt improved his 100 record on Saturday, Gulnara Galkina-Samitova ran the first sub-nine minute women's steeplechase in history yesterday.

In the 800, the quarter century-old record could also be under threat when Kenya’s two great frontrunners, Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei, go head-to-head in the final, chased by 2000 Olympic champion Maria Mutola in her fifth and last final at the games.

Steeplechasers should make it a double-gold day for the east African nation, possibly sweeping the medals with Ezekiel Kemboi seeking to extend his title.

It would immediately heat up the race with Ethiopia, which won both the men and women's 10,000, for African domination.

Also looking for a sweep, world champion Kerron Clement, Bershawn Jackson and Angelo Taylor want to push the United States further up the overall medal standings in its battle with China for Olympic bragging rights.

Yesterday, China extended its lead in the overall gold medal standings to 35-19.

In the long jump pit, Irving Saladino will seek to give Panama its first-ever Olympic gold in track. Ibrahim Camejo of Cuba will want to keep the battle a central American affair. — AP