Liu Xiang

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For other people named Liu Xiang, see Liu Xiang (disambiguation).
Medal record

Liu Xiang in 2010
Competitor for  China
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens 110 m hurdles
World Championships
Gold 2007 Osaka 110 m hurdles
Silver 2005 Helsinki 110 m hurdles
Silver 2011 Daegu 110 m hurdles
Bronze 2003 Paris 110 m hurdles
World Indoor Championships
Gold 2008 Valencia 60 m hurdles
Silver 2004 Budapest 60 m hurdles
Bronze 2003 Birmingham 60 m hurdles
Asian Games
Gold 2010 Guangzhou 110 m hurdles
Gold 2006 Doha 110 m hurdles
Gold 2002 Busan 110 m hurdles
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Liu.

Liu Xiang (simplified Chinese: 刘翔; traditional Chinese: 劉翔; pinyin: Liú Xiáng; born July 13, 1983 in Putuo, Shanghai, China) is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion.[1] His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China.

Liu is one of China's most commercially successful athletes and has emerged as a cultural icon.[2] He is the first Chinese athlete to achieve the "triple crown" of athletics: World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion. He was the favorite to win another gold in the 110 metre hurdles at the Beijing Olympics,[3] but much to the dismay of his fans, he had to withdraw from competition at the last moment after a false start and aggravation to a previously unrevealed injury.

Contents

[edit] Career

In May 2001, he won at the East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan with a time of 13.42 seconds. In August 2001, he won at the Universiade in Beijing, China with a time of 13.33 seconds.[4] He also won at the 9th National Games of the People's Republic of China that same year.[5]

In May 2004 at an IAAF race in Osaka, Japan, Liu managed to beat Allen Johnson with a personal best record time of 13.06 seconds. Liu had become his hero's equal just before the Athens Olympic Games.[citation needed]

[edit] 2004 Olympics

Liu Xiang
Osaka07 D7A Xiang Liu celebrating.jpg
Liu Xiang celebrating at the 2007 World Championship as he became the World Champion for the first time.
Traditional Chinese 劉翔
Simplified Chinese 刘翔
Hanyu Pinyin Liú Xiáng
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2010)

Liu Xiang won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in the 110 metre hurdles event, equaling Colin Jackson's 1993 world record of 12.91 seconds. Liu became just the sixth man to post a time under 13 seconds for this event. The ecstatic Liu at once fulfilled the great promise he had shown in setting a world junior record two years earlier and raised the hopes of his compatriots for a repeat victory at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Liu said that his performance, which brought China its first men's Olympic gold medal in track and field, "changes the opinion that Asian countries don't get good results in sprint races. I want to prove to all the world that Asians can run very fast." His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China, in which the previous best were held by Olympic silver medallist C.K. Yang of the Republic of China and Olympic bronze medalist Zhu Jianhua. Contrary to popular belief however, Liu Xiang's Olympic track and field gold medal is not the first won by an Asian male athlete, as Olympic gold medalist Mikio Oda, Naoto Tajima, Son Kitei and others were the forerunners of Asian male track and field athletes achieving gold in the Olympic Games. Liu, a 21-year-old student at East China Normal University at the time of his Athens victory, became the object of a bidding war between commercial sponsors. The Chinese Track and Field Association restricted him to four such deals.

Liu finished the season with four of the year's ten fastest clockings. Reaching 17 finals in the 60 m indoor hurdles and the 110 metre hurdles, he lost just two, both to American Allen Johnson. Liu, at 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) and 85 kg (187 lb), was taller than most sprint hurdlers, and he has showed spectacular athleticism by constraining his naturally long stride to the three-step pattern necessary in order to avoid the alternation of lead legs in hurdling.

[edit] 2005 and 2007 World Championships

In August 2005, Liu won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Finland, finishing 13.08 seconds, 0.01 seconds after champion Ladji Doucouré from France. In November 2005, he won at East Asian Games in Macau, China with 13.21 seconds.

Off track, in May, he was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for Newcomer of the Year for his breakthrough performance at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Liu set a new world record in the 110 metre hurdles, at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne on July 11, 2006, with a time of 12.88 seconds (+1.1 m/s tailwind). The record was ratified by the IAAF.[6] In that same race, American Dominique Arnold had also beaten the previous record with a time of 12.90 seconds.[7] In September, he won gold at IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany with 12.93 seconds.

On August 31, 2007 at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, Liu won gold in the 110 metre hurdles with 12.95 seconds to become the World Champion for the first time.

On May 23, Liu participated in a test event at the Beijing National Stadium.[8] He pulled out of the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on May 31, citing hamstring problems. On June 8, he false-started at the Prefontaine Classic at Eugene, Oregon. Liu skipped the entire European circuit, preferring to train for the Olympics in China instead.

[edit] Beijing Olympics

Leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Liu bore national expectations of a repeat victory on home soil.[9] On August 18, Liu withdrew from the Olympic 110 metre hurdles. He walked off the track after a false start by another runner in his first-round heat,[9] leaving the crowd at the Beijing National Stadium in stunned silence,[10] confusion,[11] and tears.[8][9] According to Jeré Longman of the New York Times, "China's greatest hope had been dashed".[12]

According to China's track and field association, Liu suffered from a recurrence of chronic inflammation in his right Achilles tendon.[8] Liu's coach, Sun Haiping addressed the media during a press conference and stated that the hurdler had been hampered by a tendon injury for six or seven years.[10] He commented on the situation, saying "We worked hard every day, but the result was as you see and it is really hard to take."[10] Sun, who was in tears for most of the press conference, stated that Liu would be unable to compete for the remainder of 2008. Liu made a public apology to the Chinese media the following day, saying he could "do nothing but pull out of the race" because of his foot injury. He believes that the injury would not prevent him from future competitions and vows to "come back" for the next Olympics.[13]

Liu's injury was significant and also ruled him out of the following year's major competition, the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.[14] However, coach Sun Haiping was confident that he would return in time for the Chinese national championships and 2009 Asian Championships in Athletics in November.[15]

[edit] 2009–2011: Return from injury

After a 13-month absence because of his injury, Liu finally returned to competition at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. Liu recorded a time of 13.15, tied with Terrence Trammell, but finished 0.01s behind and was awarded second place. However, Liu said he was happy with his performance.[16][17] Nearing the end of the year, he competed at a number of major events on home turf. He won gold medals at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, the East Asian Games and the 11th Chinese National Games.[18][19]

At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, admitting that his right foot has yet to fully recover,[20] Liu was able to finish in the finals of the 60 m hurdles, but managed only seventh place.[21] His sole appearance on the 2010 IAAF Diamond League circuit came at the Shanghai Grand Prix and he lost to national rival Shi Dongpeng for the first time.[22] Following a six-month break, he marked his return to form at the 2010 Asian Games. A crowd of 70,000 gathered at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium to see him in the final and he easily won his third consecutive title at the competition, breaking the Games record with a run of 13.09 seconds – making him the third fastest athlete that season.[23]

The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in May 2011 saw Liu make a return to a world class level: he defeated David Oliver (the fastest hurdler in 2010) with a world-leading mark of 13.07 seconds to take his first win on the 2011 IAAF Diamond League. Liu showed he had accomplished a transition in his technique, as he reduced his number of starting steps before the first hurdle from eight to seven, using his left leg for hurdling.[24]

On August 29, 2011, Liu Xiang competed in the men's 110 m hurdles final in the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Liu finished the race in third place, but he eventually won the silver medal, as the winner Dayron Robles was disqualified for entering Liu's lane and touching him. Though Robles' disqualification improved Liu's final position, many Liu fans claim that without Robles' violation, Liu wouldn't have lost balance and could have won the race.[25]

[edit] 2012 season

In Liu's first competition of 2012, he was matched up against Dayron Robles at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix and this time he won cleanly with an Asian record time of 7.41 seconds for the 60 m hurdles.[26]

[edit] Personal life

Liu is known for his low-profile appearance, but he has become one of the most popular athletes in China.[27] Liu Xiang was on Time magazine Asian edition's cover of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games titled "Liu Xiang & 99 More Athletes to Watch."[28]

Liu donated approximately 2,500,000 yuan (364,000 USD) to 2008 Sichuan Earthquake relief efforts.[29]

Although he is arguably one of the most popular sports stars in China, Liu admits that he has no time for a romantic relationship, citing that he wishes he had taken the chance to form one before the Athens Olympics, which catapulted him to fame: "There is no girlfriend. No time."[30]

In Jan 2007, Liu was announced as global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite.[citation needed] Liu's athletic gear is sponsored by Nike.[31] He is also a spokesperson for Coca Cola and Cadillac.

[edit] International competition record

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2000 World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 4th 110 m hurdles
2001 World University Games Beijing, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.33 seconds
World Championships Edmonton, Canada 4th (semis) 110 m hurdles
Chinese National Games Guangzhou, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.36
East Asian Games Osaka, Japan 1st 110 m hurdles 13.42 seconds
2002 Athletissima Lausanne, Switzerland 2nd 110 m hurdles 13.12 seconds (WJR/AR)
Asian Championships Colombo, Sri Lanka 1st 110 m hurdles 13.56 seconds
IAAF World Cup Madrid, Spain DNF 110 m hurdles —
Asian Games Busan, South Korea 1st 110 m hurdles 13.27 seconds
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 3rd 60 m hurdles 7.52 seconds
World Championships Paris, France 3rd 110 m hurdles 13.23 seconds
World Athletics Final Monaco 4th 110 m hurdles
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd 60 m hurdles 7.43 seconds
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 1st 110 m hurdles 12.91 seconds (=WR)
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 2nd 110 m hurdles 13.08 seconds
Chinese National Games Nanjing, China 1st 110 m hurdles
Asian Championships Incheon, South Korea 1st 110 m hurdles
East Asian Games Macau, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.21 seconds
2006 IAAF Super Grand Prix Lausanne, Switzerland 1st 110 m hurdles 12.88 seconds (WR)
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 110 m hurdles 12.93 seconds
World Cup Athens, Greece 2nd 110 m hurdles
Asian Games Doha, Qatar 1st 110 m hurdles 13.15 seconds
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 1st 110 m hurdles 12.95 seconds
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 1st 60 m hurdles 7.46 seconds
Olympic Games Beijing, China DNF 110 m hurdles Could not compete due to injury
2009 Chinese National Games Jinan, China 1st 110 m hurdles
Asian Championships Guangzhou, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.50 seconds
East Asian Games Hong Kong, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.66 seconds
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 7th 60 m hurdles
Asian Games Guangzhou, China 1st 110 m hurdles 13.09 seconds
2011 Asian Championships Kobe, Japan 1st 110 m hurdles 13.22 CR
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 2nd 110 m hurdles 13.27 seconds

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Liu sets new world hurdles record
  2. ^ Zhang, Flora (18 August 2008). "On China’s Web Sites, It’s O.K. to Cry for Liu Xiang". New York Times. http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/on-chinas-web-sites-its-ok-to-cry-for-liu-xiang/?apage=2. 
  3. ^ Reynolds, James (24 May 2008). "Hopes for hurdler amid earthquake grief". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2008/05/hopes_for_hurdler_amid_earthqu.html. 
  4. ^ World Student Games (Universiade – Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-28.
  5. ^ Chinese National Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-28.
  6. ^ IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations – IAAF.org – Statistics – Records
  7. ^ IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations – World Athletics Tour 2006 – News
  8. ^ a b c Longman, Jeré (18 August 2008). "China’s Big Hope in Track Doesn’t Get Out of Blocks". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/sports/olympics/18hurdles.html. 
  9. ^ a b c Coonan, Clifford (18 August 2008). "Heartbreak for China as hero limps out before first hurdle". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/heartbreak-for-china-as-hero-limps-out-before-first-hurdle-901853.html. 
  10. ^ a b c "China's Liu Xiang pulls out of 110m hurdles". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 August 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/athletics/story/2008/08/18/olympics-athletics-liu.html. [dead link]
  11. ^ Reynolds, James (18 August 2008). "Liu Xiang out". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2008/08/liu_xiang_out.html. 
  12. ^ Longman, Jeré (18 August 2008). "China's Big Hope in Track Doesn't Get Out of Blocks". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/sports/olympics/18hurdles.html. 
  13. ^ Yardley, Jim (19 August 2008). "Star Hurdler Apologizes to China for Withdrawal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20hurdler.html. 
  14. ^ Lei, Lei (2009-08-06). It's official, star hurdler to miss World Championships. China Daily. Retrieved on 2009-08-06.
  15. ^ Liu clearing fitness hurdles. Press Association (2009-07-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-07.
  16. ^ Xiong Tong (21 September 2009). "Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang back on track after 13 months' lay-off". Xinhua News Agency. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/21/content_12086411.htm. Retrieved 21 September 2009. 
  17. ^ "Liu finishes second on return to track". Shanghai Daily. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200909/20090921/article_414426.htm. Retrieved 21 September 2009. 
  18. ^ Asian Athletics Association
  19. ^ Yung, Jean (14 December 2009). "Chinese superstar Liu Xiang clears major hurdle – Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-china-athlete14-2009dec14,0,4187419.story. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  20. ^ "Liu Xiang to defend World Indoor title in Doha". iaaf.org. http://www.iaaf.org/WIC10/news/kind=100/newsid=55738.html. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  21. ^ ' + gmt_datetime( CmsgList[i].m_datetime ) + '. "Liu Xiang competes at 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha – Sports News". SINA English. http://english.sina.com/sports/p/2010/0314/308766.html. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  22. ^ Home team ready to shine in Guangzhou – Asian Games Preview. IAAF (2010-11-19). Retrieved on 2010-11-28.
  23. ^ 70,000 watch Liu Xiang fly to 13.09sec victory – Asian Games, Day 4. IAAF (2010-11-25). Retrieved on 2010-11-28.
  24. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (2011-05-15). Liu Xiang is back – Shanghai REPORT – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-05-27.
  25. ^ Liu Xiang regains honor at Daegu worlds, CCTV News, August 30, 2011
  26. ^ Brown, Matthew (2012-02-18). Liu Xiang, Clarke, Ennis and Defar delight Birmingham. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-19.
  27. ^ Liu Xiang Most Popular Athlete in China
  28. ^ TIME Magazine – Asia Edition August 18, 2008
  29. ^ 刘翔零距离 NIKE新浪竞技风暴 新浪网
  30. ^ Fame holds no attraction for Liu Xiang
  31. ^ Article on the development of Nike's Aerofly and the Aerofly LX spikes (Liu's personalised shoe for the Beijing Olympics)

[edit] External links

Records
Preceded by
United Kingdom Colin Jackson		 Men's 110 m Hurdles World Record Holder
August 27, 2004 – June 12, 2008		 Succeeded by
Cuba Dayron Robles
Sporting positions
Preceded by
United States Allen Johnson		 Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance
2004		 Succeeded by
France Ladji Doucouré
Preceded by
France Ladji Doucouré		 Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance
2006–2007		 Succeeded by
Cuba Dayron Robles
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