Liu Xiang observe a Championships record finish: Asian Championships – Athletics news
Liu Xiang, the 110m hurdler from China, who is an Olympic gold medallist and World Champion, built on with his winning streak by dominating the Kobe track at the Asian Championships in Japan.
The strenuous runner, who is regarded as the most successful Chinese athlete from a commercial point of view, marked his fourth continuous win for stopping the clock in 13.22 seconds. The results observed by the 2004 Olympic gold medallist also witnessed
a championships record to conclude the final day of the event.
Xiang, who has become a cultural icon for Chinese athletics spectators, is the only player among his countrymen to be conferred upon with athletics’ ‘triple crown’. He is not only the World and Olympic champion of the discipline he specialises in, but also
holds the world record for it.
While contesting at the Beijing Olympics, the tall and strong Chinese was tipped-off as the expected gold medallist for the 110m hurdles. However, the last moments left his spectators completely disappointed as his run was marred by a technically wrong start,
which also unearthed the fact that he was suffering from an injury.
However, at the Asian Championships, he was fit enough to not only live up to the aspiration of his fans and spectators, but also to respond above and beyond the call of duty. Of course, it was not China and Xiang was missing the electrifying atmosphere
that he enjoys back home, but still, there were voices of applaud and encouragement. The full-throated support was, of course, reserved for the local runners at the Memorial Stadium of Kobe Universiade.
Whether it was the result of an absolute crowd support or the toiling trainings of local players, the Japanese contingent dominated the all four relay contests and displaced their Chinese arch rivals from their traditional throne since 1981. These were these
successes that helped Japan to end up with a total of eleven gold medals, ten silver and eleven bronze medals.
China, the favourite for the event, ended the contest with a tally of ten gold, twelve silver and five bronze medals. In the previous Asian Championships event, China ended with 18 gold medals against Japan’s 12 and in this context, it was observed that
overall performance of both of the sides had significantly deteriorated.
Putting rest of the Chinese athletes’ performance aside, it was clear that Xiang performed as per expectations. Making quick starts right from the gun, he was leading the pack by the half way and clocked a title finish pretty easily. Commenting upon his
success, the formidable athlete said, “It is not a bad result. It was a very hot day, so I wasn’t able to prepare as I normally do. I am pleased to set a new championship record.”
With such an overriding finish at the Asian Championships, it is expected that Liu Xiang will enter the upcoming World Athletics Championships at Daegu with greater confidence.
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