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The Chinese hope at Beijing 2008- Liu Xiang

Take a walk through the streets of Beijing and you will come to see the pictures of one man - Liu Xiang, the Chinese 110 meter hurdler, plastered all over the city billboards. The man currently holds ‘triple crown’ of world athletics- World Record, World Champion and Olympic Champion, but Chinese expectations hit a jolt in June when Dayron Robles of Cuba stripped off his 110 meters hurdle record.

In August when he takes on the track & field at Beijing Olympics to defend his title Liu will be under great pressure to uphold the Chinese dreams of celebration.

The Beginning
Born on 13 July 1983 in Shanghai, China, Liu Xiang is the only of a truck driver father and waitress mother. As a child he was enrolled in a junior sports school and in his first year he won the national high-Jump competition in his age group. Later he was persuaded by hurdle coach Sun Hiaping to switch events, from high-jump to hurdle.

The first Go
Liu Xiang started his international career at the world junior championships in 2000, though his coach Hiaping described his techniques “terrible” but he finished fourth in 110 meter hurdles. Liu tasted his first success in the international arena in May 2001, when he won East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan with 13.42 seconds.

Success Story
Liu started to cement his feet on the world athletics arena and year 2002 earmarked his rise above the hurdles. In July 2002, Liu won a silver medal at IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Grand Prix held in Lausanne, Switzerland with a record time of 13.12 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles.

In 2003, he won a Bronze medal with 7.52 seconds in the IAAF World Indoor Championship in Athletics held in Birmingham, England. In the same year of August Liu again won a Bronze 110 meters hurdle at IAAF World Championship in Athletics held in Paris, France. He was voted Chinese Male Athlete of the Year by the Chinese sports journalists. It was just the beginning; the real test of nerves was a year ahead when Liu has to participate in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

2004 Summer Olympics, Athens
Before the beginning of Olympics, in May 2004 Liu beat his ideal and world number one sprinter Allen Johnson at an IAAF meet in Osaka, Japan. He established an Asian and his personal best record time of 13.06 seconds. This was a boost for Liu to equal his hero just before the Olympics at Athens.

In the 2004 Summer Olympics Liu caught the eyes of the world when he won the gold medal in 110 meter hurdle, to become the first Asian to go under 13 seconds for 110 meters hurdle. On his way to the podium, Liu equaled Collin Jackson’s record of 12.91 seconds.

He finished the season on a great note, reaching 17 finals in 60 m indoor hurdles and 110 meter hurdles, losing just on two occasions. He produced some record timing with the 4 of years 10 fastest clockings.

Getting over the Hurdles
The start of 2005 season was an extension of Liu’s success story. He won silver medal at the IAAF World Championship in Helsinki, Finland, clocking 13.98 seconds just 0.01 seconds behind the champion Ladji Doucoure of France. In November, he won at East Asian Games on his home soil Macau, China.

He was also awarded ‘Laureus World Sports Award’ for Newcomer of the Year for his performance in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

At the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, Liu set a new world record in 110 meter hurdle, clocking 12.88 seconds on July 11, 2006. The Chinese guy hit the podium with second gold of the year in September at IAAF World Athletics Finals in Stuttgart, Germany.

In 2007 at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka Japan, Liu won the gold in the 110 meter hurdles to become the World Champion for the first time.

Since last Summer Olympics 2004, Liu Xiang had a dream run on the tracks. His glorious run and current stature in the world of athletics seeded the dreams of gold for China in Beijing Olympics 2008.

Will he be able to deliver it again?