SHIJIAZHUANG -- Olympic champion Liu Xiang said here on Monday that his men's
110 meters hurdles world record of 12.88 seconds might stand until he becomes a
grandfather.
Liu, who broke Briton Collin Jackson's 13-year-old world mark of 12.91 in the
Lausanne Grand Prix on July 11, won his 6th national title in 13.30 at the
Chinese championships before an enthusiastic crowd of 10,000.
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Liu Xiang in competition at the Chinese
athletics championships Monday, August 7, 2006. Liu won his sixth national
title with a a time of 13.30.
[Xinhua]
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He said after the race:
"Everybody in China expects me to run a good time in every race, but that's
impossible. To clock a good time or even break the world record, you need to
have a right atmosphere, a good ground and a strong group of contenders. And
most importantly, you need to be in your best form.
"In Lausanne, if there were not Dominique Arnold, I would have never broken
the world record. Here in this race, it's obviously impossible to do that," he
said.
In Lausanne, US hurdler Arnold finished in 12.90 seconds, which was also
under the old record.
Liu Xiang hoped that his world record can stand as long as possible although
he is not sure whether there will be somebody to break it in the next few years.
"In the next 10 years, I think the best time will be around 12.90 seconds.
But who knows? Maybe it can stand until I become a grandfather," he said.
He added: "Before winning the Olympic champion in 2004, I always thought that
it was impossible to get close to Jackson's world record. But I levelled it
first and then broke it. It's always hard to say."
Liu has focused his energy on overseas matches instead of national
competitions to avoid the crazy Chinese fans. The day's competition was the
first of his two home races in the 2006 calendar.
"I am here to show my thanks to the Chinese fans," he said. "The race is of
little significance for me."
The national hero is always mobbed by fans in China asking for autographs,
which has become a headache for Liu, his coach Sun Haiping and Chinese athletics
officials.
Here last year, his vest was taken away by a fan during the preliminary
match.
To "protect" him, Chinese athletics association officials asked him not to
sign a single autograph during his stay.
"In last year's Chinese national championships here, it was impossible for
Liu to have a rest. There was always someone who wanted to disturb his rest. Liu
was so kind that he could not refuse others' request," Liu's coach Sun Haiping
said.
"Waiters, waitresses, guards at every hotel and volunteers at the training
ground all requested autographs. They even brought their friends to watch Liu's
matches and trainings," Sun said.
So this year, Sun and Liu were forced to change their schedule. They arrived
late on Sunday night by car and left soon after winning the race for Beijing,
which is 300 kilometers away from here.
