00:00As he lined up at the Olympics in a sport he originally didn't even want to compete in,
00:04he found himself with an absurd amount of pressure and expectation from his home country.
00:09China had only ever won a single medal in track and field at the Olympics,
00:13a bronze won by Zhu Zhang Zhui in the high jump.
00:16Liu Chang wanted to become a world champion high jumper too,
00:19but when he was young, he was told he would never be tall enough to compete at an international level.
00:24So his coaches made him quit and try hurdles instead.
00:27Liu underwent intense training, and before long he was outperforming every other hurdler in the country.
00:33And as the 2004 Athens Olympics approached, China was hopeful that Liu could bring Olympic glory to the country.
00:39So as the race took off and Liu rocketed ahead of all the other runners
00:43and brought home the first Chinese Olympic gold in men's track and field,
00:47Liu was absolutely worshipped.
00:50But for Liu, what seemed like a dream soon became a nightmare.
00:53Tap here to watch Liu's full story.
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