Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang crashed out of the initial heat in the 110-meter hurdles on Tuesday. Then he hopped up the track on his left leg and limped off to finish the race.

Injury left his hopes of another Olympic success in ruins, and sparked a tumult of emotion online, as thousands of messages crashed onto Weibo.

Many people praised Liu and said he performed honorably, even though he failed. But others had more mixed emotions. Maybe we can say that Liu has created an opportunity for Chinese people to review the Olympic spirit and consider the individual fates and rights of athletes.

Liu took the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Olympic Games, the first time a Chinese athlete triumphed in a track event. This was an unforgettable memory for the Chinese public.

Since then Liu has failed to take any medal at the following two Olympic Games, which has confused and disappointed many.

Over the past eight years, many new ideas have emerged. There are many questions about him. Liu is not only a hero, an idol and a person who can stumble and fall, he has also become a platform for debate.

Liu has been promoted as a national hero for years. However, was he still a hero on Tuesday? Should he have joined the race to begin with, since he was plagued by possible injury? What position should he take as he says goodbye to the games?

These questions are very concrete and sharp. They are testing Chinese people's attitude toward the Olympic honor.

Sometimes Chinese society views Liu as a person with individual rights, and sometimes it views him as a sporting superstar who has duty to satisfy public desires. Liu has a dual identity. However, how can he balance these two identities? Is he obligated to make these efforts?

Liu's injury meant his participation in the race was bound to be painful, no matter how he chose to run. Certainly he must have wished he could stay in and win gold, but that dream already vanished. 

No matter how the Chinese public shows their understanding and compassion to Liu, they cannot be as happy as if he won another gold medal. However, the public should understand and sympathize with the falling hero.

Generally speaking, in the face of the defeat on Tuesday, both Chinese society and Liu himself behaved in a mature and decent way. Straightaway, the Chinese audience applauded Liu. It is spontaneous overflow of human sympathy. Chinese society needs this kind of tolerance and generosity.

Liu's choice to enter the race itself was a decision made under pressure. A decade ago, this pressure would have come from all over China.

But on Tuesday, only Liu himself felt the pressure. And we hope that when a new "Liu Xiang" appears in a decade or so, he can be more relaxed than today's Liu, not just thanks to increased social tolerance, but because athletes at that time will have more independence and choices.

Liu's name will be remembered forever, not only because of his gold medal, but because of the discussion he has sparked.

We should thank Liu for what he has brought to us. The more compassion we show to Liu, the more dignity we bring ourselves.

The article is an editorial published in the Chinese edition of the Global Times Wednesday. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn