With his eyes firmly fixed on the Beijing Olympics, China's Liu
Xiang will settle for nothing less than the World Championships
gold in the 110m hurdles in Osaka later this month.
Liu Xiang from China gazes
the hurdles before the 60 meters hurdles competition during the
track and field meeting at the indoor arena in Dusseldorf, Germany
in this file photo taken on February 6, 2007. The Olympic champion
and world record holder is eyeing a world title in Osaka, Japan
later this month. (Photo: Xinhua)
Superstar Liu Xiang, a national hero in his homeland, won bronze
and silver medals in 2003 and 2005 respectively and is determined
to add the top prize this time round before capping it with another
Olympic title next year.
The world meet will be from August 25-September 2.
"I really want to see what winning the gold feels like this
time," he said recently, conscious that more than?1 billion
Chinese fans are backing his quest to take home the title.
"Osaka is my lucky track and I hope it brings me success again.
I was third in 2003 and second in 2005 in the World Championships,
so I certainly hope to get a better result this time around."
Liu Xiang won China's first ever men's Olympic track gold in
Athens in 2004 and then smashed the world record last year,
clocking 12.88, but has been outside 13 seconds in recent
races.
He desperately wants to avenge French hero Ladji Doucoure, who
pipped him for gold in Helsinki two years ago.
Doucoure ended a 29-year wait for France when he clinched his
country's first 110m hurdles global title since Guy Drut's gold at
the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He has since faded from the scene but
will start in Osaka.
With four-time champion Allen Johnson of the US missing the
championships, Cuba's Dayron Robles and American Terrence Trammell
are shaping as Liu Xiang's main threats.
But he is currently only running at 80 percent capacity and
needs to move up a gear to clinch the title, his long-time coach
Sun Haiping said last week.
Liu Xiang has been working on fast starts and acceleration over
the initial hurdles in training.
"At present Liu Xiang's form is at 80 percent of best, with the
result of about 13.10," Haiping said. "In gearing up for the World
Championships we will make some adjustments and Liu Xiang will get
better."
"We are going there to bring home the gold medal. We want it
very much."
It was in Osaka in 2004 that Liu Xiang set a new Asian record
before storming to the Olympic title in Athens, and he has also won
the Japan Grand Prix four times running - giving him a 100 percent
winning record on the track.
The 110m hurdles final is on August 31.
(Star Online via China Daily August 21, 2007)
