Olympics: Yao Ming consoles fallen Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang

Wednesday, 20 August 2008

BEIJING - Basketball superstar Yao Ming on Wednesday urged China's hurdling hero Liu Xiang to put his Olympic nightmare behind him and to strive for greater success in the future.

Chinese sports fans have been in mourning since the nation's 110-metre hurdling hero Liu hobbled away from his Olympic heat with a foot injury earlier this week.

Yao, who has led China's basketball team to an Olympic quarter-final berth, sent a short text message to Liu's coach Sun Haiping and urged the hurdler to put the event behind him, China's Olympic Committee said on its website.

"I saw the race, it is very regrettable," Yao said.

"What determines the success of an athlete's career is the kind of high level overall results he achieves during the career. You have to forget this race. The road is long, keep going."

Yao, who like Liu was born and raised in Shanghai, also sent the regards of his Shanghai teammate Liu Wei, who plays point guard on the nation's basketball team.

Liu, 25, the defending Olympic champion and former world record holder, apologised Tuesday for letting so many people down and also sought to reassure his fans they had not seen the last of him.