Liu to have edge on arch rival in front of home fans

Hurdling hero Liu Xiang will enjoy hometown advantage when his rivalry with rising star Dayron Robles grows even fiercer at the 2007 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in September.

China's 110m flyer, who split titles with the 20-year-old Cuban in their two indoor duels earlier this season, was defeated by Robles a few weeks ago at the Paris Golden League, where Liu finished an uncharacteristic third behind Anwar Moore of the United States.

China's Athens Olympics champ hoped to avenge that loss only to be disappointed when Robles opted to rest from this month's races.

The youngster paid for the time off this week when he slipped from equal first on the latest International Associations of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) rankings.

A three-point deduction saw the Cuban missile, who joined Liu at the summit of world athletics after the previous IAAF update, sink to second place.

The arch rivals will most certainly go head to head again at the August World Championships in Osaka before the Shanghai flash gets his chance to perform in front of his home crowd the following month.

Liu is scheduled to arrive in Beijing later this week to start preparation for the Japan showdown.

"I still have not won a world championship title yet. I am looking forward to the race in Osaka because it is a lucky place for me as I have never lost there," the four-time winner of the Osaka IAAF Grand Prix said.

But Liu and his coach know how difficult the task will be in Osaka despite a successful European tour of two wins and a third in July.

Mentor Sun Haiping played down the victories insisting his charge's main challenges will come from Robles and world champion Ladji Doucoure of France - both absent during Liu's two recent wins - rather than any Americans at the world titles and next year's Olympics.

"Liu has to run between 12.90-12.95 if he wants to defend his gold medal at the Beijing Games," Sun said.

"Robles and Doucoure are young and have best times within 13 seconds. They are the most dangerous rivals in the future."

Invitation from Austria

Liu's popularity has attracted numerous invitations to prestigious overseas competitions and paved the way to another likely showdown with Robles at Austria's illustrious Gugl-Meeting in September .

Organizers of Austria's biggest one-day meet have invited Liu to the country's athletics showpiece in Linz, according to local media reports.

The who's who of past athletics stars all have won plaudits at Gugl-Meetings - Carl Lewis, Colin Jackson and Marion Jones among them.

When Liu's name appears on the program in two month's time at the 20th event, he will be right at home in the pantheon of greats.

Meet manager Harald Edletzberger said he had talked with Liu's manager, who he claims "expressed interest in this event".

"We expected the contest between Liu and Cuban Dayron Robles, who had decided to attend the event," Edletzberger said, adding that past Gugl-Meetings were remembered for scintillating 100m sprint and long jump duels.

This year, however, Liu and Robles' clash promises to be the big-ticket item.

Xinhua contributed to the story

(China Daily 07/27/2007 page22)