Although he's nowhere near as famous in the United States as Yao Ming, China's biggest sports star and best hope for a transcendent Olympic performance is Liu Xiang, who won gold in the 110-meter hurdles in 2004 and is favored to do it again this summer in Beijing.
Liu is beloved in China and may soon be a star in the United States as well. Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated writes that when Liu visited New York City this week to promote the Reebok Grand Prix, organizers expected a handful of media and ended up with close to 100. His name won't be a secret in the West much longer.
At least, it won't be if he wins the gold medal. If he fails to take the gold, he'll be mostly a footnote in the United States, and he'll be viewed as a failure in China. No Olympic athlete in the world has more pressure on him than Liu.
