Liu Xiang quits men's 110m hurdles on August 18, 2008 at Beijing Olympic Games. [Sina.com]

China.org.cn: Were the tears for Liu Xiang, out of a feeling of distress, or something else?

Yan Xiaoyan: Mainly it was distress. People felt he sacrificed too much for the Olympics, and could not live a normal life. As soon as the Athens Olympics ended, he started preparing for the Beijing games. He worked so hard for 4 years, and it all evaporated in a couple of seconds. His 4 years of effort were all for nothing, all the pain was for nothing. So of course we all felt very distressed.

Huang Xingxing: You can understand why Sun Haiping cried, and why, so it's said, Liu Xiang cried in the dressing room. I used to be a professional athlete. My calf muscle detached. For the first time in my life I felt helpless and depressed. Having gone through that, I can understand why Sun Haiping and Liu Xiang cried. I would have felt the same.

China.org.cn: Before this happened, everyone was looking forward to the battle between Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles. Now it seems like the result of the 110 meters hurdles final is going to be a foregone conclusion.

Yan Xiaoyan: Not necessarily. Liu Xiang broke the world record of Renaldo Nehemiah in 2002. I interviewed Nehemiah on August 17, and asked his opinion of the race. He said one athlete was physically ready, the other one was mentally ready, but neither was totally ready. And Liu Xiang's exit may also affect Robles.

Huang Xingxing: He may lose motivation. An athlete needs competition and is always thinking about defeating an opponent, but if there's no rival anymore he won't have anyone to defeat. Liu Xiang has quit and Trammell is injured, so Robles may feel lost. He may lose interest in the race. Even if he wins he will not be satisfied. It's the same in life for every one, not just for athletes.

Yan Xiaoyan: He won't be happy even if he wins the gold. An athlete wants a real competitor, a worthy rival. The greatest honor for an athlete is to defeat your adversary, and a win for Robles without real competition won't make him a hero, so it won't mean so much to him.