London 2012 Media Watch: When a Race is More than Just a Race

On the afternoon of August 7, when Liu Xiang appeared on TV screens around the office, the air of excitement and an eerie sense of anxiety were palpable.

This was the first and only time since the London Games began that I saw such a fixation on a single event.

Liu Xiang, 29, was one of China's highest-profile athletes at the London Games. By winning the gold medal in the men's 110 meter hurdles in Athens eight years ago, he became the first Asian athlete to win a men's Olympic track event. He was instantly anointed a national hero and showered with prize money and sponsorship deals.