This morning’s Athletics session here at Beijing’s Bird’s nest had been expected by the whole Chinese population as the day Liu Xiang would begin his acclaimed campaign to retain the historical Olympic title he had taken four years ago at the Athens Games.

Unfortunately for the defending champion and his 1.3 millions supporters, his race ended after three strides.

Rumours had started among the specialised journalists after Xiang confided in 2005 World champion Ladji Doucouré during warm up that he felt unable to compete. Television images confirmed Xiang’s injury scare as he was seen limping in the warm up area. A true competitor Xiang went through the healing hands of three different medical experts and the excruciating pain to step on the track in front of no fewer than 91,000 spectators.

Visibly grimacing in agony and limping up and down the track, Xiang set in the blocks at the starter’s orders. Xiang could only manage three steps before badly hobbling towards the first barrier. As runners were recalled when Marcel van der Westen jumped the gun, the Olympic champion stripped his lane numbers off his baggy shorts and exited through the back door.

This time, the pain was too much.

The intensity of the athlete’s, the coach’s, the nation’s and the world’s disappointment is hard to describe. Thousands of people were seen crying in shock, in horror, in despair.

It is hard to say how many actually watched the race which unfolded after Xiang’s withdrawal but for the record Konstatinos Douvalidis was the heat winner in a new Greek national record 13.49. All athletes from heat six advanced to tomorrow’s quarter finals.

Previously, yet another tragedy unfolded as US Olympic Trials runner-up Terrence Trammell, who was running in lane 2, ironically the same lane that saw the demise of Xiang, also failed to complete his first round heat. Trammell too, seemed like he was suffering before the race as he could only manage the opening 8 steps and a pathetic hurdle flight before stepping on the inside and holding his left leg apparently injured.

A two-time Olympic silver medallist Trammell refused to be taken out on a stretcher and limped all the way out of the Olympic stadium, his dark shades most probably hiding looks of despair.

Again heat winner Artur Noga, the former World Junior champion from Beijing 2006, went virtually unnoticed.

Other heat winners included the only three survivors of the ‘quintet of favourites’, US champion David Oliver being fastest in 13.30. World Championships bronze medallist David Payne took heat four in 13.42 but the most impressive by far this morning was World record holder Dayron Robles who looked like he was running in slow motion as if he was giving a group of young children a hurdling class. His time, not that it mattered, was 13.39.

Colombia’s Paulo Villar took heat three in 13.37, the second fastest time this morning, leading former World Youth champion Ryan Brathwaite to a Barbados national record 13.38.

With 43 athletes entered, 32 advancing to tomorrow’s round 2, Xiang and Trammell out through injury and European champion Stanislavs Olijars a non-starter, only 8 men failed to qualify.

The smallest of consolation for the Chinese fans came from the qualification of Ji Wei, third in heat one, and Shi Donpeng, fourth in heat three albeit both runners have little chances of featuring among Thursday’s medallists.

Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF