Liu Xiang (劉翔)

 Sport: Hurdles

Age: 29

Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 28,363,534

As the first and only gold medal winner in men's track and field for China, Liu Xiang is unquestionably one of the most renowned and successful Chinese athletes in the world. Born on July 13, 1983, in Shanghai, Liu won his first Olympic gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, putting him on the map as well as in the record books. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liu was forced to withdraw from the competition at the last moment due to a lingering foot injury. In the XXX Olympiads this summer, he crashed into the first hurdle during in the opening heat of the 110m hurdles. However, even though he disappointed many of his fans, Liu is still the most beloved athlete with Chinese people. In 2010, Liu ranked 10th on CNN Asia's 15 sexiest male athletes list.