Liu injury blow in pictures

Defending 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang, considered China's best hope for an athletics gold medal, is forced out of the Games due to injury

Liu grimaces in pain repeatedly with an Achilles injury in the warm-up for the first round of the 110m hurdles

Despite all attempts, Liu, a massive celebrity in China, cannot shake off the injury that has plagued him in the run-up to the Games

As the race false starts Liu stuns the home crowd in the 91,000-seater Bird's Nest stadium when he pulls up and is forced to withdraw

Liu's withdrawal is met with disbelief, tears and silence by loyal fans around the stadium

Even security staff are reduced to tears as they watch their home grown hero depart the Beijing Olympics

After four years of preparation, build-up and hype, Liu's dream of defending his title is over

He departs the Bird's Nest stadium, leaving behind a shocked home crowd

The emotion is all too evident on the face of his coach Sun Haiping as he tries to explain how Liu's hopes ended on Monday