Earlier, I wondered whether Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the 110 meter hurdles competition will negatively affect his relationship with Nike. Thanks to this tip from snactres, we find out that Nike will continue to feature Liu in its ad campaign.

From CNBC:

Despite the disappointment of one of their biggest endorsers, Nike will salute hurt Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang tomorrow — instead of hoping that he’ll disappear.

This is the type of thing that makes Nike a leader in sports marketing. When the other sponsors privately cringe at the thought of one of their top guys going down, the folks at the Swoosh actually think, “How do we spend on this and turn it into a great human moment that appeals to people?”

The print ad, which will appear in The China Daily and a few local papers here in Beijing, will have Liu Xiang’s face and will contain the following copy (in Mandarin):

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It does look like he is injured right from the start, so I feel more sympathetic to him now than I was in my earlier post.

Here’s another one in case the Youtube video above gets deleted.

Related:
Liu Xiang Quits
Hurdles: Dayron Robles vs. Liu Xiang II
Hurdles: Dayron Robles vs. Liu Xiang
Photo of the Day: Liu Xiang
Photo of the Day: Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang: Large Shoes, Big ….

Argh! Liu Xiang, my favorite Olympian pulled out of the 110 meter hurdles reportedly because of a “tendon injury to the right foot“. As a fan who’s been blogging about Liu and who hoped that he will get his second Olympic gold medal, his decision to quit is very disappointing.

It would have been great to see him run despite whatever injury he sustained. After all, isn’t that what the Olympics is about — overcoming all odds and that kind of stuff? But, then again, maybe its unfair to expect him to risk his health and future well-being if only because his fans want to see him running. I’m sure his other fans also have mixed feelings about this.

What would be interesting to see in the future would be the impact, if any, of Liu’s decision to quit. Will Nike, for instance, still produce its Air Liu? Or will they find someone who will be a better fit for their expensive shoes? [It's expensive not because it is expensive to produce but because of the ridiculous fees they give to the stars who wear them.]

Update: The video of Liu Xiang in the 110 meter hurdles is here.

Update II: Nike continues to feature Liu Xiang in its ad campaign, details here.

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Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles may be rivals in the track but they’re great pals outside of it. The top photo shows Liu consoling Dayron when the latter was eliminated during the World Indoor Championships last March 2008.

PHOTO SOURCE: IAAF

Oh boy. Seems like an Olympic gold for Liu Xiang in the Beijing Games isn’t a sure thing after all. Who could grab the gold from him? Cuban Dayron Robles who just set a new world record in the 110 meter hurdles.

From the AP:

Dayron Robles of Cuba has set a world record in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking 12.87 seconds at the Golden Spike meet.

The 21-year-old Robles was 0.01 seconds faster than the previous mark, set by China’s Liu Xiang in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2006.

Terrence Trammell of the United States was second in Thursday’s race, in 13.21 seconds, followed by Ukraine’s Sergey Demidyuk in 13.42.

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