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    刘翔是中国运动员的骄傲，雅典奥运会一战成名，把刘翔推到一个需要仰视的位置，而中国飞人目前夺冠的最大阻碍，小将罗伯斯也屡创佳绩。那么，刘翔是否能不负重望，在北京奥运会上成功卫冕？对此，刘翔从容地表示，“我的对手就是我自己，战胜自己我就赢了”。

    The weight of a host nation's hopes will be firmly on the broad shoulders of Liu Xiang, China's defending Olympic 110m hurdles champion, come next month's Games in Beijing. Liu became China's first male Olympic champion in athletics when he tied Colin Jackson's world mark of 12.91 sec to win the 110m hurdles final at the Athens Games in 2004.
     Four years on, the 25-year-old is viewed as his country's best gold medal hopeful in track and field events at the Beijing Games.
    But the Shanghai-born athlete, who was recruited into a specialist sports school at the age of 12, will be under increased pressure not just from his countrymen but Cuban upstart Dayron Robles, who snatched the world record from Liu this summer.
    Liu's Olympic victory in Athens four years ago heralded unbridled opportunities for the hurdler and he has cashed in on his fame to become a popular pitchman and a millionaire in his own right.
    He adorns outdoor advertising boards, promoting everything from cigarettes and soft drinks to clothing - and can incite a near-riot by appearing in public.
    "In response to your request for an interview, we deeply appreciate your interest in Liu Xiang and Chinese athletics," says the four-line message from the Chinese Athletics Association.
    "Unfortunately, because of his Olympic preparations, Liu Xiang has entered into a crucial training phase and as a result he cannot speak to the media and we hope for your understanding. Thank you for your support."
    His preparations have certainly been hit by the rise to form of Robles, who dethroned his archrival as the world 110m hurdles record holder by shaving a hundreth of a second off the previous best by running 12.87 sec.
    The 21-year-old Cuban maintains, however, that Liu will be in pole position come the Beijing Games.
    "The sprint hurdles is a very complicated event," Robles said. "I believe that at least five guys will be in a position to win gold in Beijing. Obviously, Liu Xiang is the top favorite, because of all the titles he's won.
    "He's lost the world record but he continues to be the main guy to beat."
    "I know Liu Xiang will be supported by a large number of people, the entire Chinese population. But I will try to attract that crowd, just try to turn the crowd in favor of Liu Xiang also to get to support me.
    "When you're the world record holder then somebody else breaks your record, it's certainly a concern. And it says that of course your rivals are in good shape.
    "So I believe that maybe Liu Xiang will have to reflect on that and maybe something has to be changed. He's certainly aware that his strongest rivals for Beijing are in good shape, not only myself but also the American guys and anyone who makes it to the Olympic final."
    Liu said he had not been surprised by Robles' performance.
    "Actually, I had expected it to happen someday, as Robles is very capable of running under 12.90 sec," he said.
    "Robles has been my main rival over the past two years. Neither of us will show mercy at the Olympics, so let's wait and see what happens then."
    Liu's coach Sun Haiping said the new world mark would not have a big impact on Liu's preparations but would instead add motivation for the athlete.
    "It will inspire Liu Xiang to work harder. And we will continue our preparations without making changes to our training schedule," said Sun.

Vocabulary:
recruit vt. 补充；征募
herald vt. 预报；宣布
unbridled adj. 无拘束的
pitchman n. 商品宣传者
adorn vt. 装饰，装潢，使增色
incite vt. 刺激，激励
sprint n. 短距离赛跑

参考译文：
    主办国希望的重担将牢牢地压在刘翔宽阔的肩膀上，在下个月举行的北京奥运会上，中国要力保110米栏的冠军。当刘翔在2004年雅典奥运会的110米栏决赛中平了科林-杰克逊的世界纪录12.91秒获得冠军的那一刻，他就成为了中国奥运史上田径金牌第一人。
    四年过去了，25岁被认为是最佳夺金年龄。
    刘翔生于上海，12岁被召入体校训练。现在他承受着巨大压力，这种压力不仅仅来自国人，还有古巴新星戴龙-罗伯斯，他在今年夏天从刘翔手中夺走了世界纪录。
    四年前雅典一役刘翔的胜利预示了跨栏选手无限的机遇。现在他已经名利双收，成为了最受欢迎的广告代言人和富豪。
    他装饰了户外广告牌，从香烟到软饮料再到衣服，他几乎代言了每种商品，并且通过公众露面刺激了消费。 
    中国运动员协会说：“对于你们的采访要求，以及对刘翔和中国运动员的关心，我们表示深深地感谢。”  
    “不幸的是，由于现在处于奥运赛前准备期，刘翔已经进入训练的关键阶段，所以不便于接受媒体采访，我们希望你们能理解。谢谢你们的支持与理解。”
    确定的是，他现在已经受到了新星罗伯斯的威胁，罗伯斯跑出了12.87秒的成绩，成为110米栏世界纪录保持者。
    这位21岁的古巴选手，现今世界纪录保持者，将在北京奥运会与刘翔一分高下。
    “短距离跨栏是一项非常复杂的运动，”罗伯斯说。“我相信有至少5位选手会是金牌争夺者，刘翔无疑是最被看好的，因为他获得过所有的荣誉”
    “他已经失去了世界纪录，但是他仍然是有力的竞争者。”
    “我知道刘翔将会受到很多人的支持，包括全中国人民。但是我将努力地吸引大家的注意，努力地使支持刘翔的一部分人转而支持我。”
    “当你是世界纪录保持者，就会有许多人破你的纪录，这是自然的。你的对手都准备好了。”
    “因此我相信或许刘翔也有这种想法，或许一些事情不得不改变。他坚定地意识到北京奥运会上他最强的对手已经准备好了，不仅仅是我自己还有美国选手以及进入到奥运会决赛的选手们。”
    刘翔说他并不为罗伯斯的表现感到吃惊。
    “老实说，我希望这事发生在其他人身上，罗伯斯有能力跑进12.90秒。”他说。
    “罗伯斯一直是我过去两年里的主要对手。在奥运会上我们之间谁也不会仁慈，因此咱们等着瞧吧！”
    刘翔的教练孙海平说新的世界纪录并不会对刘翔的准备有太大的影响，取而代之的是会对运动员产生更大的动力。
    “这将促使刘翔更努力的训练。我们将会按照原计划继续训练”，孙海平说。

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