Athlete in pain, country in tears

…

He was a symbol of Chinese accomplishment and possibility, an extension of the nation’s best self. Certainly there are people in this vast land who were beyond the long reach of the Olympics — all 1.3 billion Chinese really couldn’t give a damn about a guy who jumps over hurdles, could they? — but no other Olympic athlete approached his status. As reported by the Xinhua, the official state news agency, an online poll earlier this month revealed 70 percent of Chinese fans would calmly face a Liu loss. The tacit corollary is 30 percent of the population — people like Wang Qingchi — wouldn’t be as sanguine, which, if your abacus is working, is, well, a whole lot of folks.

…

Less than a half-hour later during a press conference — as the motor-drive cameras whirred — Sun Haiping, his personal coach, offered an apology to the media. He would later break down, the only Sun in China on a day when a nation’s dream could not find two good legs to stand on.

Another badly written article about the Chinese.