One of the most painful moments of the Beijing games. China's world champion runner Liu Xiang stumbled off the track before his first round heat on Monday, hobbling in pain and causing many fans to break down in tears. 25-year old Liu is one of China's favourite sportsman. Facing the weight of an injury and the pressure of a nation may have been just too much. Outside of Beijing's national stadium, fans expressed their feelings. SOUNDBITE (MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) KONG MU WEI, SPORTS SPECTATOR, SAYING: "All of us had very high expectations for him and now we are all disappointed about his performance. But I feel excited still because at least I saw him in person today." As China soars to fame on the global athletics stage, its citizens have been flush with pride. With the Olympics starting its final week, host country China is way ahead when it comes to gold. As of Monday morning, Chinese athletes have snapped up 35 gold medals, far ahead of the U.S. in second place. Chinese sports stars have roared to victory in many sports at these Olympic games. Notable wins in diving and gymnastics. But track and field has remained a weak point for the Chinese Olympic team. Liu Xiang had been the nation's greatest hope. Tara Joseph-Hui, Reuters Beijing.
One of the most painful moments of the Beijing games. China's world champion runner Liu Xiang stumb...
