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Liu Xiang

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Liu Xiang

Hurdles

Probably no single Chinese athlete feels more pressure going into the Games than Liu Xiang, whose 1.3 billion fans want to see a repeat of his Athens victory in the 110 meter hurdles. Liu is second only to Yao Ming as the darling of corporate sponsors, and his face has been used to sell everything from Yili milk products to Nike sneakers to Cadillacs (GM) to cigarettes made by Chinese company Baisha, earning him more than $10 million in fees this year. Liu isn't the favorite to win this time, though: Fleet-footed Cuban sensation Dayron Robles beat his world record in July and comes into the Games in top form.