(AFP)
Updated: 2007-08-23 09:41

OSAKA, Japan - China and Japan spearhead Asian hopes at the World Athletics Championships with Liu Xiang and Koji Murofushi looking to get their hands on gold medals for a pre-Olympic boost.

World 110m hurdles record holder Liu Xiang (top) and this year's London Marathon winner Zhou Chunxiu both of China are looking to get their hands on gold medals at the World Athletics Championships starting at the weekend in Osaka. [Xinhua/Reuters]

While home-grown talent in Asia is limited, the region has plenty of imports to carry the torch, with top African runners like Youssef Saad Kamel and Rashid Ramzi now competing for Bahrain.

Those aside and Liu, the reigning Olympic 110m hurdles champion and world record holder, is the star of the show.

He narrowly missed out on gold at the last worlds in Helsinki in 2005, with France's Ladji Doucoure pipping him to the post with American Allen Johnson third, but he is fired up to put that disappointment behind him next week.

"Right now my fighting spirit and my confidence are so strong, I am very confident going into the World Championships," he told Chinese media recently.

While victory is Liu's ultimate goal, he will be keeping an eye on his Chinese friend and teammate Shi Dongpeng, who has taken giant strides to be ranked 18 in the world in the same event.

Murofushi is Asia's other genuine gold medal contender, but the world No 1 hammer thrower has Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, the current world champion, and his teammate Vadim Devyatovsky to contend with.

The Japanese star, whose hammer throwing father Shigenobu was known as the 'Iron Man of Asia', missed the last worlds with persistent back problems and is determined to add gold to the silver he won in 2001 and the bronze in 2003.

"There is pressure on me from the Japanese public and athletics fans (to win at the World Championships) but that's OK. I like to throw under pressure," Murofushi, the Olympic champion, said.

"But, from a Japanese perspective, it's not just a question of gold medals or any particular medal.

"In Japan, it is very important how you compete and how you act as well, so I want to do my best in every respect when the World Championships come around," he added.

If he won, he would be the first Japanese gold medallist who is not a marathon runner.

Zhou Chunxiu is another possible gold medal winner after making history in April by becoming the first Chinese to win the London marathon, clocking 2hrs 20min 38sec ahead of Ethiopia's Gete Wami and Romanian Constantina Tomescu-Dita.

The petite runner posted her best marathon time of 2:19.51 last year in Seoul, which was the second best time in the world in 2006, and also took the Asian Games title in December.

She finished fifth in Helsinki.

Race walkers Liu Hong and Jiang Jing are also having solid seasons and could add to the Chinese medal kitty.

Asia has few other genuine medal chances.

Chinese triple jumper Li Yanxi, the Asian Games champion, has made moves up the world rankings and will be looking for a morale-boosting chamionships ahead of the Olympics, but a podium finish looks unachievable.

Australia has two of the top pole vaulters in the world in Steven Hooker and Paul Burgess while Japan's Daichi Sawano is also top 10 material, offering the region one of its better minor medal prospects.

The Australians will also be cheering on muscle man Scott Martin in the shot putt as he goes up against the American might of Reese Hoffa and Daniel Taylor.

Among the women, Australian 1500m specialist Sarah Jamieson could upset the odds but has to cope with Bahraini import Maryam Yusuf Jamal, who previously ran for Ethiopia, and a trio of Russian heavyweights.

Japan's Kumiko Ikeda and Australia's Bronwyn Thompson lead the regional challenge in the long jump while China's Li Ling and Li Meiju are shot put contenders with Song Aimin gunning for gold in the discus.