Liu Xiang sidelined with career-threatening injury

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

Liu Xiang suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon as he crashed out of the Olympics yesterday, a team official confirmed, plunging the Chinese hurdler’s future into doubt.

Liu exited the Olympics after smashing into the first obstacle of his 110m hurdles heat, four years after he was forced to withdraw from the event at the 2008 Beijing Games.

China’s athletics team leader, Feng Shu Yong, revealed Liu had possibly snapped his Achilles, which had dogged him for years.

Liu later earned a rousing ovation from the 80,000 crowd as he hopped down the track to symbolically cross the finishing the line.