Liu celebrates his victory as he dashes past the finish line first at the men's 110m hurdle in the 2004 Athens Games, August 27, 2004, clocking 12.91 and matching the world record set by US veteran hurdler Allen Johnson. [Sohu]

BEIJING, Oct. 31 -- Having won unprecedented popularity nationwide, he is known as a "charming guy to all" in the country.

    Liu Xiang, a 22-year-old and 1.88-metre-tall handsome hurdler from Shanghai, has been "chased" by media and fans ever since he clocked 12.91 at the finish line of the men's 110m hurdle in the 2004 Athens Games, making him the first Chinese athlete, as well as the first Asian, ever to win a men's track and field Olympic gold medal.

    Since that remarkable achievement, every action by Liu, whether on the track, in the public, or wherever, draws millions of eyes and screams. This has caused widely heated discussions on the Liu Xiang craze, mainly on the question of whether or not such adoration is good for the young yet successful hurdler, or, to a larger extent, the development of the nation's sports undertakings.

    In the just-ended 10th National Games, Liu blazed a winning time of 13.10 and has been the main media and public attraction since he set foot in Nanjing. However, Liu's teammate, Shi Dongpeng, another world-class hurdler from Hebei Province, finished second in the race at 13.44, and was reportedly by no one in the crowd when he was in Nanjing's subway.

Liu Xiang reacts to surrounding media after winning the final of the 110-meter hurdles at the 10th National Games of the People's Republic of China in Nanjing. [Xinhua]

    
    Some people feel sorry for athletes like Shi, wondering "Don't they deserve equal attention from us? Why not?" It is quite unfair to have just a fraction of those who have titles already always be in the limelight while a majority of those who are promising but less known or even unknown get the cold shoulder by society.

    The current National Games saw the rise of many young promising athletes, some of who won one or more gold medals and set extraordinary world records. It is not unthinkable for some of them to become another Liu, or even exceed him. Perhaps what they need is more support and care from society to get inspired to accomplish more miracles.

    However, Liu is a magnet to everyone. In Nanjing, people checked by wire nets watching him train or knocked at his hotel room door for his signature or photo. Girls even burst out screaming when he just gave a wink shortly before the race. It is hard to believe the young hurdler could hit one success after another without extraordinary calmness and stability under such pressure by a zealous public following.

    To be frank, I don't like to run in meets in the nation because it is quite uncomfortable. I am always bombarded with journalists throwing questions and fans asking for signatures or photos wherever I go or whatever I do. I have little room and freedom as a result," said the young hurdler with a playful smile that belies helplessness and complaint.

    

A Liu Xiang fan holds a portrait of the Olympic champion hurdler during the 110m hurdles preliminaries of the 10th National Games at the 10th National Games stadium. Liu easily won the gold medal with a time of 13.10 seconds.

In spite of that, the Liu Xiang craze is not inexcusable. Unlike other star crazes, it is a kind of national sentiment. Liu has strengthened Chinese people's national pride by breaking up black people's dominance in the track and field world, thus commanding the public to give its unprecedented attention, support and effort to China's athletics. Liu, like the success of the Shenzhou-6 space mission, represents a national drive to become a world power.

    Similar to a nation, ordinary people, especially the youth, worship icons as a sort of spiritual support, which encourages and motivates them to achieve great things.

    "I don't know whether my particular affection for Liu Xiang is silly or not, but the truth is I really feel a specific purpose ahead of me and a magic force pushing me because of him, especially when the picture that he dashes to the finish line at top speed comes to my mind," said a female netizen.

    In addition, Liu's popularity also is due to his personal charm. He keeps calm, low-key, and unaffected amid an often-hysterical public adoration. He can even manage not to look around at screaming fans all around watching him training. That is partially why he is praised as a world top athlete. Moreover, as an athlete, he is also handsome and cool, childlike but masculine, naturally crowned as the "charming guy to all."

    In a society touched with fire and emotion, there is no doubt that icons often serve as role models and a pushing force. Maybe we need more icons like Liu Xiang and we also need public "icon craze" to make social changes inspired by our icons. But let's just make the changes for the better, not the other way.

    (Source: chinadaily.com.cn, by Guan Xiaomeng)