Liu Xiang, China’s great hurdling hope at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was at the track recently, but he wasn’t competing. From The Wall Street Journal:
This was Mr. Liu’s second public appearance since returning to China after three months in the U.S., during which he underwent surgery for the injured foot that forced him to pull out of the Beijing Olympics last summer.
Last month, Mr. Liu made his debut on the political stage in Beijing when he attended the meeting of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, of which he is a member.
The 25-year-old hurdler is said to be recovering quickly and recently resumed his training in Shanghai. Many Chinese have expressed sympathy for him and eagerly await his return to the track, but others say his moment has passed, according to this Chinese-language report from the official Xinhua news agency.
