China and the world should have know that pushing athletes too hard was asking for disappointment. They all but forced Yao Ming to come back early from a broken foot, threatening his whole career. And Liu Xiang was known too be injured. Here is some evidence from a Reuters article published nearly a month ago:

A hamstring injury caused him to pull out of one meeting in New York and he was disqualified from the Prefontaine Classic for a false start.

Then Robles shaved a hundredth of a second off his world record.

Back in Beijing and still troubled by his injury, Liu is relying on his big race temperament to carry him through.

But instead of being happy with the fact that Liu Xiang achieved something incredible, some in China have the gall to be angry at him for not gutting out a serious injury and winning again. This is so shameful I can’t even begin to express my contempt for people who now look down on this man. I can understand severe disappointment, but anger at this guy? Here’s a piece from the Washington Post:

Tears were followed by anger. Although the general coach of China’s athletics team said Liu was forced to drop out because of a recurring problem with his Achilles tendon, droves of fans criticized the hurdler online, accusing the 25-year-old Shanghai native of letting the nation down. He “stained the motherland” by not finishing the heat, some said, adding that he should have crawled on his hands and knees if necessary.

You know what? Idiots who think that Liu Xiang has “stained the motherland” are the real people who bring shame to China. This is an athlete who has devoted his life to the glory of his country. And he has accomplished tremendous feats. In the process he gave up his body to the sport. Anyone who thinks that Liu Xiang has brought shame to China doesn’t know the first thing about what that word means. If the people who look down on Liu Xiang had any sense of shame, they would have the good sense to keep their selfish anger to themselves.

Liu Xiang’s luster should not be diminished in anyone’s eyes, but his critics should embarrass people everywhere.