It was quite heartbreaking to see Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang have to pull out of his Olympic event due to injury. I have to admit that I am now very curious to see how his country reacts to a fallen hero with such big expectations on his shoulders.
I should say at this point that, although I am Asian, I really have no clue how other Asian cultures and nations other than Japan react and respond to - whatever. I'm far more familiar with how American or various European countries react, since I've spend much of my adult life and a few of my childhood years in those places. Initial reaction, at least as it's reported in the Chinese media, seems to be that of dismay coupled with an absolute certainty that he will rise again to the top. It's still to early to say if he can do this or not of course, and I'm wonderine how the nation will respond if he can't fulfill his, and their, lofty expectations.
I have very little doubt of how Japanese people would react to an athlete in Liu Xiang's position. Even if he never fully recovers, he will be exalted for a long, long time, simply because he showed he was really trying hard. In Japan, the effort shown （努力）is almost more important than the win itself. An athlete who has to sweat and train and strain him or herself to achieve his/her goals is held in higher esteem than a naturally gifted one who looks effortless. One of the biggest heroes in Japanese history and folklore is Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a true tragic fallen hero and ultimate loser.
On the other hand, in the U.S. in general I think that concrete success is lauded and treasured above anything else. Michael Phelps is great because he won all those gold medals. If he hadn't won as many, it doesn't really matter that he trained thousands of hours.
Another thing that Americans treasure is show-biz pizazz and self-salesmanship: you have to be good looking, flash a great smile, and speak well to become a true star. On the other hand, Mark Spitz was (I gather) never a big star despite his accomplishments because he wasn't very personable.
As far as heroes that fall off their pedestals though...American society tends to simply cast them aside and forget them, unless they are notorious in other ways. (See: Britney Spears, if she can be called a 'hero').
I'm not entirely sure about the Swiss. In general they don't make a huge fuss about people in the spotlight as other places - perhaps because there simply aren't as many people around (Population of 6 to 7 million is not much), or maybe it's a natural reticence to be overly dramatic.
Britain is an odd case. I used to think they valued fallen, tragic heroes (such as Robert Scott), but these days, the nation is more like the U.S. than old Britain. But still, the ones who manage to stay on top for at least a while get to be knighted, which must be pretty cool.
From a Singaporean Chinese point of view
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