by Xinhua sportswriters Zhou Yan, Ding Xiuling and Tan Jingjing

　　BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese were shocked on Monday as their beloved Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang limped out of a men's 110m hurdles heat at the Beijing Olympics, which virtually deprived the host nation of the hope for a track gold.

　　It was like ice and fire if one compares the sad Monday morning with the jubilant Sunday night, when China celebrated its all-time best report card at the Olympics with a harvest of 35 golds, 13 silvers and 13 bronzes in nine days.

China's Liu Xiang reacts prior to the first round competition of men's 110m hurdles at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 18, 2008. The defending champion Liu Xiang dropped out after getting injury. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

　　Liu's withdrawal from the competition, due to an exacerbated tendon injury in the right foot that has haunted him for six or seven years, left tens of thousands of home spectators in tears and despair.

　　"Through my binoculars I saw him limping out. The air in the stadium froze and the women sitting next to me began to cry," said Gao Xin, one of the 90,000-strong audience who arrived at the National Stadium three hours before the competition began. "The Bird Nest was in grief."

　　Nearly everyone found Liu's withdrawal "shocking" and "hard to accept." "People had been chanting 'Go, Go, Liu Xiang' when it happened," said a spectator surnamed Hu. "When the news of his withdrawal was broadcast, the entire audience yelled 'Wow' and it sounded like the end of the world. Many people cried."

　　But it didn't take long before the public's love and support for the heroic hurdler, who became the first Asian sprinter to win an Olympic gold after claiming the 110m hurdles title at the Athens Games in 2004, eclipsed their sadness and disappointment.

　　"After all, it is Liu himself that we love, not his gold medal," a Chinese Internet surfer wrote in a brief online comment, as many others offered more words of encouragement.

　　"We don't want gold, we only hope Liu Xiang and all other athletes suffer no more pains," read a posting that appeared on the homepage of sina.com.cn, China's leading portal website, a few minutes after Liu pulled out. "Of course, we hope to see him fly again in four years." "Xiang" in Liu's name means "fly" in Chinese.

　　Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping expressed concern and sympathy for Liu in a telegraph to the General Administration of Sport on Monday, shortly after he learned the news.

China's Liu Xiang kneels down while warming up prior to the first round competition of men's 110m hurdles at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 18, 2008. The defending champion Liu Xiang dropped out after getting injury. (Xinhua/Liu Yu)

　　"We all understand that Liu quit the race due to injury," Xi said. "We hope he will relax and focus on recovery. We hope that after he recovers, he will continue to train hard and struggle harder for national glory."

　　In an online poll at sina.com.cn, more than 65 percent of the 426,918 people surveyed said that shocked as they were, they understood Liu's choice and believed that his health was more important than the medal.

　　About 26.5 percent of the respondents said they regretted Liu's quitting, while the remaining 8.5 percent said it was hard to judge.

　　Though some netizens criticized Liu for not having followed John Stephen Akhwari's example to finish the game, the absolute majority in the cyberspace defended him, saying to persist like that could lead to serious consequences and even lifelong injuries.

　　Tanzanian marathon runner Akhwari dragged his injured leg to finish last at the Mexico City Games in 1968 and became one of the most memorable figures in the Olympic history.

　　Despite their respect for Akhwari and all Olympic heroes, Chinese sports fans have learned to stay calm in time of victories or defeats, and be more tolerant of failures as long as efforts have been made.

　　Gone are those days when the Chinese took every failure as a disgrace to their nation. In 1988, when China's gymnastic legend Li Ning -- who lit the cauldron of the Beijing Games -- returned home from the Seoul Olympics with empty hands, he received piles of letters from his fans, all blaming him for failing to win a medal for his country.

　　Today, Chinese fans almost unanimously encouraged the losers to start all over again.

　　"Whether Liu wins or not, I'll always support him and enjoy watching him on TV," said Yang Longmei, a woman who lived in the same Shanghai community with Liu's parents. "I hope to see him win back his gold again in 2012 or 2016."

　　Liu's surprise withdrawal also prompted many Chinese, whose expectations for their Olympians to deliver on the home field had kept surging along with the gold haul, to cool down their heads and reflect on the weaknesses of the Chinese sport.

　　Instead of counting on Liu Xiang alone, the country should seek new breakthroughs in internationally popular sports such as athletics, basketball, volleyball and swimming, said Nie Ming, an architect in Beijing.

　　"As athletes we clearly feel Liu Xiang's loss and are very sad for him," said head coach Liu Guoliang after the star-studded Chinese men's table tennis team crushed Germany to grab the first ever Olympic team gold on Monday night.

　　And he said his squad should learn a lesson from the incident:"We should detect injuries early and provide athletes with adequate and timely treatment."

　　Despite a significant slowdown in its gold rush as compared with Sunday, the Chinese team took four more golds on Monday. Besides the table tennis win, gymnasts Chen Yibing and He Kexin earned two golds in rings and uneven bars respectively, while He Wenna took the country's first-ever trampoline gold.

　　These victories have reinforced China's leading position in the medal tally, which it has never conceded ever since the Games' opening on Aug. 8, with 39 golds, 14 silvers and 14 bronzes. The United States ranked second with 22 golds, 24 silvers and 26 bronzes.

　　"In general, the Chinese athletes have performed extremely well, winning almost every gold medal within their reach," said Chen Danhua, 27, who works in the National Energy Administration.

　　"We might as well sit back and enjoy the Games, instead of exerting too much pressure on the athletes, particularly those who are already having a tough time competing in China's disadvantaged fields."

　　On Sunday, Deputy Chef de Mission of the Chinese delegation Cui Dalin warned that the host country's medal pace may slow down in the coming week.

　　The Chinese team's best time has passed since most competitions in the country's top sports have already ended, said Cui.

　　"Our gold medal pace will slow down. There are so many events in which Chinese excel scheduled in the first half of the Games. That's why we are able to lead the metal tally now," he added.