Liu Xiang
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Liu.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
 Liu Xiang in 2010 |
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Competitor for  China |
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| 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 |
| 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 | 2002 Busan | 110 m hurdles |
| Gold | 2006 Doha | 110 m hurdles |
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 metre 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, 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 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. That he would win another gold in the 110 metre hurdles at the Beijing Olympics was "China's great hope",[3] but he had to withdraw from competition at the last moment after a false start and aggravation to a previously unrevealed injury.
Contents |
Career
In May, he won at East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan with 13.42 seconds. In August, he won at World University Games in Beijing, China with 13.33 seconds.
In May 2004 at an IAAF race in Osaka, Japan, Liu managed to beat Johnson with a personal best record time of 13.06 seconds. Liu had become his hero's equal just before the Athens Olympic Games.
2004 Olympics
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." In his comments, Liu gave voice to his country's cultural stereotype, which judging from editorial comments in Chinese newspapers, he was not alone in believing. "I am a Chinese," he said, "and considering the physiology of the Chinese people, it is something unbelievable."
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.
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.[4] In that same race, American Dominique Arnold had also beaten the previous record with a time of 12.90 seconds.[5] 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.[6] 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.
Beijing Olympics
Leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Liu bore national expectations of a repeat victory on home soil.[7] China deemed another gold medal from Liu essential for a successful Olympics.[6] 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,[7] leaving the crowd at the Beijing National Stadium in stunned silence,[8] confusion,[9] and tears.[6][7]
According to China's track and field association, Liu suffered from a recurrence of chronic inflammation in his right Achilles tendon.[6] 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.[8] 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"[8] 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.[10]
Liu's injury was significant and also ruled him out of the following year's major competition, the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.[11] 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.[12]
2009-2010 comeback
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 slightly behind and was awarded second place. However, Liu said he was happy with his performance.[13][14]
At the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships in November he won Gold in the 110m Hurdles.[15]
At the 2009 East Asian Games he won the Gold Medal in the 110m Hurdles.[16]
At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, admitting that is right foot has yet to fully recover[17], Liu Xiang was able to finish in the finals of the 60m Hurdles in 7th place[18].
Personal life
Liu is known for his low-profile appearance, but he has become one of the most popular athletes in China.[19]
Liu donated approximately 2,500,000 yuan (364,000 USD) to 2008 Sichuan Earthquake relief efforts.[20]
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 have a girlfriend before the Athens Olympics, which catapulted him to fame: "There is no girlfriend. No time."[21]
Major achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | East Asian Games | Osaka, Japan | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.42 seconds |
| 2001 | World University Games | Beijing, China | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.33 seconds |
| 2002 | IAAF Super Grand Prix | Lausanne, Switzerland | 110 m hurdles | 2nd | 13.12 seconds, set world junior record and Asian record |
| 2002 | Asian Championships in Athletics | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.56 seconds |
| 2002 | Asian Games | Busan, South Korea | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.27 seconds |
| 2003 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, UK | 60 m hurdles | 3rd | 7.52 seconds |
| 2003 | IAAF World Championships | Paris, France | 110 m hurdles | 3rd | 13.23 seconds |
| 2004 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 60 m hurdles | 2nd | 7.43 seconds |
| 2004 | Summer Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 12.91 seconds, tied world record |
| 2005 | IAAF World Championships in Athletics | Helsinki, Finland | 110 m hurdles | 2nd | 13.08 seconds |
| 2006 | IAAF Super Grand Prix | Lausanne, Switzerland | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 12.88 seconds, set world record |
| 2006 | IAAF World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 12.93 seconds |
| 2006 | Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.15 seconds |
| 2007 | IAAF Super Grand Prix | Lausanne, Switzerland | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.01 seconds |
| 2007 | IAAF World Championships in Athletics | Osaka, Japan | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 12.95 seconds |
| 2008 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 60 m hurdles | 1st | 7.46 seconds |
| 2009 | 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix | Shanghai, China | 110 m hurdles | 2nd | 13.15 seconds |
| 2009 | 2009 Asian Athletics Championships | Guangzhou, China | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.50 seconds |
| 2009 | 2009 East Asian Games | Hong Kong | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.66 seconds |
Sponsorships
In Jan 2007, Liu was announced as global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite.
Liu's athletic gear is sponsored by Nike. He is also a spokesperson for Coca Cola and Cadillac.
Liu Xiang was on Time magazine Asian edition's cover of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games titled "Liu Xiang & 99 More Athletes to Watch."[22]
See also
- China at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- China at the World Championships in Athletics
References
- ↑ Liu sets new world hurdles record
- ↑ Zhang, Flora (2008-08-18). "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.
- ↑ Reynolds, James (2008-05-24). "Hopes for hurdler amid earthquake grief". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2008/05/hopes_for_hurdler_amid_earthqu.html.
- ↑ IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations - IAAF.org - Statistics - Records
- ↑ IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations - World Athletics Tour 2006 - News
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Longman, Jeré (2008-08-18). ""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.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Coonan, Clifford (2008-08-18). ""Heartbreak for China as hero limps out before first hurdle"". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/heartbreak-for-china-as-hero-limps-out-before-first-hurdle-901853.html.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 ""China's Liu Xiang pulls out of 110m hurdles"". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-08-18. http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/athletics/story/2008/08/18/olympics-athletics-liu.html.
- ↑ Reynolds, James (2008-08-18). "Liu Xiang out". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2008/08/liu_xiang_out.html.
- ↑ Yardley, Jim (2008-08-19). ""Star Hurdler Apologizes to China for Withdrawal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20hurdler.html.
- ↑ Lei, Lei (2009-08-06). It's official, star hurdler to miss World Championships. China Daily. Retrieved on 2009-08-06.
- ↑ Liu clearing fitness hurdles. Press Association (2009-07-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-07.
- ↑ Xiong Tong (September 21, 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 September 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Liu finishes second on return to track". Shanghai Daily . http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200909/20090921/article_414426.htm. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- ↑ http://www.asianathletics.org/ Asian Athletics Assosiation
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-china-athlete14-2009dec14,0,4187419.story
- ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/WIC10/news/kind=100/newsid=55738.html
- ↑ http://english.sina.com/sports/p/2010/0314/308766.html
- ↑ Liu Xiang Most Popular Athlete in China
- ↑ 刘翔零距离 NIKE新浪竞技风暴 新浪网
- ↑ Fame holds no attraction for Liu Xiang
- ↑ TIME Magazine - Asia Edition August 18, 2008
External links
- (English) Liu Xiang's official website
- IAAF profile for Liu Xiang
- IAAF "Focus on Athletes" article
- 刘翔零距离（SINA)
- Article on the development of Nike's Aerofly and the Aerofly LX spikes (Liu's personalised shoe for the Beijing Olympics)
- SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com
- "Liu Xiang", n°4 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Colin Jackson |
Men's 110 m Hurdles World Record Holder August 27, 2004 – June 12, 2008 |
Succeeded by Dayron Robles |
| Sporting positions | ||
Preceded by Allen Johnson |
Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 2004 |
Succeeded by Ladji Doucouré |
| Preceded by Ladji Doucouré |
Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Dayron Robles |
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