Liu Xiang's fate is inextricably tied to Beijing 2008. The reigning Olympic and world 110m hurdles champion was born on July 13, the date Beijing was awarded the hosting rights to the event, and he has come to symbolise the pressure all Chinese athletes are facing. A nation expects - and he has been given every possible assistance to deliver. His birthday this year was a sombre affair. No family party, no champagne, just a simple cake with his coaches and teammates in the cordoned-off training centre in Beijing.
So close to the opening ceremony, it was no time for distractions. But there was an added reason for the mood: 2008 hasn't exactly gone to plan.
Liu has yet to break the 13-second barrier, let alone get close to his record of 12.88 that was broken by Cuban rival Dayron Robles. A sore hamstring grounded Liu in two back-to-back tournaments in the United States in June, his last planned appearances before the Games. Rarely competing and shielded from the media, there have been doubts - bordering on panic - that the brightest star of them all was about to crash and burn.
Closer examination shows the reality is quite different.
Away from the public eye and without distraction, Liu and his team have been quietly fine-tuning his build-up and insist it is business as usual.
'Initially, I was afraid that losing the world record might affect his mentality,' his father, Liu Xuegen, said from Shanghai. 'But he sounded just fine in the phone conversations we've had in the past few weeks. He even called up, asking for birthday presents. Clearly, he was in high spirits.'
Long-term coach Sun Haiping, who determines Liu's schedule and training regime, insisted everything was under control.