extensive reading.doc

A Letter From Liu Xiang To all of the people who care about and support me: Many thanks to those who have always understood and supported me. At the moment, I am very sad about having to pull out, which I know has disappointed you all. July 13, 2001, the day when Beijing won the bid to host the Olympics, was also my 18th birthday. Thus my birthday celebrations were connected to the joy of winning the bid to host the Games. At that time, I was just an unknown runner. Participating in the Olympics is every athlete's dream, soI always made a 100% effort. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, my dream of ing an Olympic champion came true. From that moment on, it has been my unshakable aim to defend [1] the Olympic title in my motherland. I love challenges, and never give up. That is my personality. In fact, from the moment I first set foot on [2] Greek soil, I was confident of my form. As I won more and more titles, and more and more people started paying attention to me and supporting me, I fell under mounting [3] pressure, giving me troubles in my daily life. I could not enjoy light-hearted parties with my friends, just like my peers did. In addition, at every moment I was conscious of the nation ’s high expectations. I know that yesterday passionate people were looking forward to my appearance. I also hoped I could have raced to the finish line, asI did before. But my foot... please beli