Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang (Chinese刘翔, Pinyin Liu Xiang, born July 13, 1983 in Shanghai) is a Chinese track and field athlete and Olympic champion in the 110- meter hurdles.
Career
Liu Xiang began his sporting career as high jumper, but at international level he could not keep up due to lower bounce and switched to hurdles. He first made in 2002 attracted attention when he 's a junior world record ( at the same time Asia record ) aufstellte with 13.12.
At the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in 2003 was about 60 meter hurdles Liu Third ( time: 7.52 s ). At the World Championships in Paris / Saint- Denis in the same year he reached the 110-meter hurdles also the third place ( time: 13.23 s ). At the World Indoor Championships in Budapest in 2004, he was over 60 meters hurdles second behind Allen Johnson. Its products obtained by time of 7.43 s was also Asia - record.
He celebrated at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens His biggest success. There he won the final race over 110 meters hurdles in 12.91 s and equaled the world record held by Colin Jackson.
The 2005 World Championships in Helsinki earned him the silver medal behind the Frenchman Ladji Doucouré. On 11 July 2006 he finally became the sole world record holder in 110 -meter hurdles, as he ran 12.88 s at the athletics meeting in Lausanne and thus improved the previous record by three hundredths of a second. Second-placed Dominique Arnold remained with his time of 12.90 s under the old world record, setting a new U.S. record.
In Osaka at the 2007 World Championships, he won his first world title with 12.95 s.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Liu Xiang had to retire due to his achilles tendon inflammation that had previously hindered him for a non- self-inflicted false start in the flow. The injury forced him to a one-year break over. After the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, he was unable to participate this way, he reached the seventh place at the World Indoor Championships in 2010.
At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, he was runner-up behind the U.S. American Jason Richardson after the Cuban Dayron Robles was disqualified for obstruction.
At the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene ( Oregon) on June 2, 2012, he presented with a time of 12.87 s, a new world record of Dayron Robles. The too strong tail wind ( 2.4 m / s), however, prevented an official recognition of his performance. At the Olympic Games in London in 2012 Liu Xiang dropped out after a fall after the first hurdle of already in the flow.
He has a contest weight of 82 kg at a height of 1.89 m.
Performance
Liu Xiang's 110- meter hurdles times under 13 seconds: