刘翔从预赛的退出，是体育界当局的最大失误和遗憾，可惜，可叹 (图)

古巴的Dayron Robles 在今年6月的110 米栏国际比赛中创新的世界记录。
Dayron Robles of Cuba on his way to setting a new world record in the 110-meter
hurdles at the Golden Spike international athletics contest in Ostrava,
Czech Republic, on Thursday. Vladislav Galgonek/Associated Press

刘翔从奥运会预赛的退出，很使世界上的奥运会观众，感到沮丧，失望，伤心。
让一个运动员负担起这么多观众的期待，就是对一个没有腿伤的田径运动员来说，
也是巨大的精神负担。世界记录成为别人瞄准的目标，本来能连拿两届奥运金牌的
田径运动员就不多。

今年六月，古巴运动员Dayron Robles 创110米跨栏的最新世界记录时，就已有迹象，
刘翔将面临前所未有的挑战。当时看了纽约时报的文章，真替刘翔耽心。

"It's such a good time; I wasn't expecting that. Wow!" Robles, who wore
glasses and a cross around his neck, told reporters after his record race.
"I do not know if I can beat Liu Xiang in Beijing now. But we will see."

“He's a tall guy with quick feet who is very efficient over the top of
the hurdles," Renaldo Nehemiah of the United States, a former world-record
holder and the first man to run the event in less than 13 seconds, said
of Robles in a recent interview. "Obviously, the road to Beijing travels
through Liu. He's not going to give it to him. But in a one-race environment,
all it takes is one mistake and anything can happen."

真是不幸而言中。

遗憾的是， 国内的媒体，尤其是体育界当局，一直就没有采取很好的保护措施，包
括公关措施。结果，公众的热情与期待上涨到无以复加的地步。参加奥运会，不光
运动员需要做好必要的心理及身体的准备，观众也需要做准备，准备和运动员一起
分担胜利或失利，这本来就是任何竞技运动无法分割的部分。老话说，弦不能拉得
太满。

国家的兴亡是靠人民大众的共同努力，无法让任何一个个人背负起这样重的担子。
金钱和荣誉既可以使人出名，也可以使人在这种压力下“盛名难负”。这样的例子
不少了。

祝愿刘翔能好好在身体及心理方面恢复，也希望下一个刘翔会受到更好的保护，不
只是在体育运动的训练场上，也在商场上，在名利场上。

没看那场预赛，因为感觉不好。

纽约时报，By JERE LONGMAN，Published: June 13, 2008

Dayron Robles of Cuba set a world record of 12.87 seconds in the 110-meter
hurdles Thursday, eclipsing the mark previously held by China's most celebrated
Olympic star and setting the stage for a potential upset in the country's
most eagerly awaited event at the Summer Games in Beijing.

Robles, 21, set his record at a meet in Ostrava, the Czech Republic, shaving
by one-hundredth of a second the record time of Liu Xiang of China, the
2004 Olympic champion and the favorite in Beijing this August.

Liu, who set his record in 2006 and has become highly visible in China as
a star athlete and corporate pitchman, did not participate in Thursday's
race. His outdoor season has been brief and disappointing. A hamstring injury
kept Liu from participating in the Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York on
May 31. Last weekend, a false start disqualified him from the Prefontaine
Classic in Eugene, Ore.

And now, Liu's record has been surpassed by Robles, who defeated the Chinese
champion twice outdoors last season but has struggled to perform to his
capabilities in major championship races.

As it prepares to host the Olympics, China has been dealing with a devastating
earthquake and has been facing criticism over the issues of human rights
and news media freedoms. On a competitive level, it now faces questions
about its two most renowned Olympic stars □Liu and the N.B.A. player Yao
Ming, who had foot surgery in March and whose availability for the Beijing
Games remains uncertain.

"It's such a good time; I wasn't expecting that. Wow!" Robles, who wore
glasses and a cross around his neck, told reporters after his record race.
"I do not know if I can beat Liu Xiang in Beijing now. But we will see."

Liu was scheduled to return to China after the Prefontaine meet and has
said he would not compete again until the Beijing Olympics, which will be
held from Aug. 8 to 24. But his American-based agent, Mark Wetmore, said
the chances were better than 50-50 that Liu would run in a meet on the European
circuit in July, perhaps in Madrid, Rome or Athens.

"He said he wanted to go home to make sure his hamstring was O.K.," Wetmore
said. "It's his decision about running. But if he's going to come back,
a Golden League meet would make the most sense, where he'd have the best
possible competition."

Robles has clearly gained top form as Liu tries to restore his health. On
Thursday, Robles shaved five-hundredths of a second -- a considerable amount
-- from his previous best, 12.92 seconds, run last September.

In the clouded world of track and field, where doping has been rampant,
Robles is sure to face some skepticism about his performance. He has not
failed a drug test.

Thursday's performance by Robles, who is 6 feet 3.5 inches, was the second
stunning record effort in two weeks. Usain Bolt of Jamaica ran 9.72 seconds
to set the world record in the 100 meters at the Reebok Grand Prix meet.

Robles is no newcomer to the hurdles the way Bolt is to the 100. Last year,
Robles defeated Liu twice, at a meet in Paris and again at a race in Shanghai.
Cuba has long been known for the technical skill of its hurdlers and coaches.
Anier Garcia of Cuba won the 110 hurdles at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney,
Australia.

“He's a tall guy with quick feet who is very efficient over the top of
the hurdles," Renaldo Nehemiah of the United States, a former world-record
holder and the first man to run the event in less than 13 seconds, said
of Robles in a recent interview. "Obviously, the road to Beijing travels
through Liu. He's not going to give it to him. But in a one-race environment,
all it takes is one mistake and anything can happen."

Liu seems to have one advantage: he seems to be at his best in major championships,
and Robles does not. Robles finished a disappointing fourth to Liu last
August at the world track and field championships in Osaka, Japan.

Then, after a dominant indoor season in 2008 in the 60 hurdles, Robles mistakenly
believed a false start had been called on Liu in the first round of the
indoor world championships in March in Valencia, Spain. Robles stopped running
and was eliminated from the competition, which Liu eventually won. They
are considered friends, and Liu offered his condolences.

The next time the two men are scheduled to meet, an Olympic gold medal will
hang in the balance.

“There is no favorite,”Allen Johnson of the United States, the 1996 Olympic
champion, said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/sports/olympics/13track.html