OLYMPICS/ Team china
Liu Xiang faces Cuban archrival in Shanghai
By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-27 10:41
Newly crowned 100m hurdles world champion Liu Xiang will face a stiff challenge from Caribbean flash Dayron Robles at Friday's Shanghai Golden Grand Prix.
The rapidly emerging Cuban dominated the men's 110m hurdles at the Stuttgart IAAF World Athletics final with a near world record run of 12.92 seconds last Sunday.
It was a championship, national and continental record and makes him now equal with the likes of Olympic champions Roger Kingdom and Allen Johnson as the fourth fastest ever sprint hurdler.
Liu Xiang of China (L) crosses a hurdle to win the race ahead of Dayron Robles of Cuba (R) at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on September 9, 2006. The showdown between Cuban Dayron Robles, after he ran a blistering 12.92 seconds to win the 2007 Stuttgart IAAF World Athletics Final, and China's hurdling hero Liu Xiang, who took his first World Championships title last month in Osaka with the same time, will be the highlight of the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix when it starts on Friday. [Reuters] |
Only World record holder Liu (twice), Colin Jackson and Dominique Arnold has run faster.
Even in the absence of Liu, who set an exceptional competition record of 12.93 on the same track last year, the star-studded line-up in Stuttgart included 2003 and 2005 World champions Allen Johnson and Ladji Doucoure and Osaka Worlds silver and bronze medalists Terrence Trammell and David Payne.
But a relaxed Liu shrugged off the surging menace, saying he was focused on finishing the year in a positive manner without over exerting himself.
"I am not concerned. I will see my remaining matches this year as game of play. Just take it easily," said Liu, who will wrap up the year at the Daegu Athletics Meeting in Korea after Shanghai.
The Shanghai-born icon, who overpowered Robles at the Osaka World Championships last month to win his first world title, will also fight it out with archrival and hurdles legend Allen Johnson and fellow teammate Shi Dongpeng.
Liu's coach Sun Haiping also played down the fancied Cuban charge in Shanghai.
"He will fly to Shanghai from Europe. He will not have enough time to adjust himself to the time difference," Sun said.
"I do not think he will have a good result this time in Shanghai."
Sun noted that Liu's absence in Stuttgart gave Robles the best chance to make a breakthrough.
"Liu did not compete so he was relieved and had no pressure. That's the main reason for such a good run," he said.
An under-pressure Robles failed to live up to expectations at the world championships where he finished outside the medals in fourth.
But Sun is still cautious, considering Liu is still recovering from a fever he picked up upon returning from Osaka.
"It's a high fever and we still need time to recover. He is shaping up very well but not fully fit yet," he said.
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