Liu Xiang (hurdler)
110 m hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal best(s) | 200 m: 21.27 s (+0.6 m/s) (Shanghai 2002) 60 m hurdles: 7.41 s (Birmingham 2012) 110 m hurdles: 12.88 s (+1.1 m/s) (Lausanne 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on July 12, 2012. |
Liu Xiang | ||||||||||||||
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Hanyu Pinyin | Liú Xiáng | |||||||||||||
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Liu Xiang (simplified Chinese: 刘翔; traditional Chinese: 劉翔; pinyin: Liú Xiáng; born July 13, 1983) is a Chinese former 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion.[2] His 2004 Olympic gold medal[3] was the first in a men's track and field event for China.
Liu is one of China's most successful athletes and has emerged as a
Career
Early career
In May 2001, Liu won at the
In 2002 Liu set an
2004 Olympics
In May 2004 at an IAAF Grand Prix race in
Liu, a 21-year-old
Liu finished the season with four of the year's ten fastest clockings[citation needed]. Reaching 17 finals in the 60-metre indoor and 110-metre outdoor hurdles, he lost just two, both to American Allen Johnson[citation needed].
2005 and 2007 World Championships
In August 2005, Liu won a silver medal at the
Off track, in May, Liu was awarded the
On July 11, 2006, Liu set a new world record in the
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 World Champion.
On May 23, Liu participated in a test event at the
Beijing Olympics
Leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Liu bore national expectations of a repeat victory on home soil.[18] 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,[19] leaving the crowd at the Beijing National Stadium in stunned silence,[20] confusion,[21] and tears.[17][18] According to Jeré Longman of The New York Times, "China's greatest hope had been dashed".[22]
According to China's track and field association, Liu suffered from a recurrence of chronic inflammation in his right Achilles tendon.[17] 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.[20] 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."[20] 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 believed that the injury would not prevent him from future competitions and vowed to "come back" for the next Olympics.[23]
Liu's injury was significant and also ruled him out of the following year's major competition, the
2009–2011: Return from injury
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 0.01 second behind and was awarded second place. However, Liu said he was happy with his performance.[26] Nearing the end of the year, he competed at a number of major events on home turf. He won gold medals at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, the East Asian Games and the 11th Chinese National Games.[27][28]
At the
The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in May 2011 saw Liu make a return to a world class level: he defeated
On August 29, 2011, Liu Xiang competed in the men's 110-metre hurdles final in the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Liu finished the race in third place, but he eventually won the silver medal, as the winner Dayron Robles was disqualified for entering Liu's lane and pulling him back.[34]
2012 season
In Liu's first competition of 2012, he was matched up against Dayron Robles at the
In the 110-metre hurdles at the London Olympics in 2012, Liu pulled his Achilles tendon while taking off and attempting to clear the first hurdle, instead crashing straight into it. Liu hopped the full 110 metre stretch, was helped by a few of his fellow competitors, and was put into a wheel chair and led away. He kissed the last hurdle before he left the track. Colin Jackson described it as a "very sad sight indeed" for the sport. Liu's loss echoed strongly in the Chinese press but also sparked a lot of controversies. Some voices expressed support while others wondered why Liu chose to participate in spite of his injury. Liu even earned a nickname "Liu PaoPao" because of pullbacks in two consecutive Olympic Games.[40][self-published source] As per reports Liu was to have surgery on his Achilles tendon in Britain.[41]
Retirement
On April 7, 2015, Liu announced his retirement in a statement posted to his Sina Weibo. He had not competed since the 2012 Olympic race. In his post, he wrote that he was retiring after two years of frustrating and ultimately futile rehabilitation: "Of course my heart is still willing, but my foot has again and again said no to me."[42]
In 2016, Liu was chosen as one of the teams in
Personal life
Liu is known for his low-profile appearance, but he has become one of the most popular athletes in China.[45] Liu Xiang was on Time magazine Asian edition's cover of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games titled "Liu Xiang & 99 More Athletes to Watch."[46]
Liu donated approximately 2,500,000 yuan (364,000 USD) to 2008 Sichuan earthquake relief efforts.[47]
Liu married Ge Tian, a post-90s generation actress on September 7, 2014, after officially dating the actress for two years prior to their marriage.[48]
Liu's athletic gear is sponsored by Nike.[52] He is also a spokesperson for Coca-Cola and Cadillac.
International competition record
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing China | |||||
2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago , Chile
|
4th | 110 m hurdles | 13.87 (wind: -0.1 m/s) |
2001 | World University Games | Beijing, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.33 seconds |
World Championships | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 4th (semis) | 110 m hurdles | 13.51 | |
Chinese National Games | Guangzhou, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.36 | |
East Asian Games | Osaka, Japan | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.42 seconds | |
2002 | Athletissima | Lausanne, Switzerland | 2nd | 110 m hurdles | 13.12 seconds ( WJR/AR )
|
Asian Championships
|
Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.56 seconds | |
IAAF World Cup | Madrid, Spain | DNF | 110 m hurdles
|
— | |
Asian Games | Busan, South Korea | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.27 seconds | |
2003 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 3rd | 60 m hurdles | 7.52 seconds |
World Championships | Paris, France | 3rd | 110 m hurdles | 13.24 seconds | |
World Athletics Final | Monaco | 4th | 110 m hurdles | 13.27 | |
2004 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 60 m hurdles | 7.43 seconds |
Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.91 seconds (=WR) | |
2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 2nd | 110 m hurdles | 13.08 seconds |
Chinese National Games | Nanjing, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.10 | |
Asian Championships | Incheon, South Korea | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.30 | |
East Asian Games | Macau, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.21 seconds | |
2006 | IAAF Super Grand Prix | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.88 seconds (WR) |
World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.93 seconds | |
World Cup | Athens, Greece | 2nd | 110 m hurdles
|
13.03 | |
Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.15 seconds | |
2007 | World Championships
|
Osaka, Japan | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.95 seconds |
2008 | World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 1st | 60 m hurdles | 7.46 seconds |
Olympic Games | Beijing, China | DNF | 110 m hurdles | Could not compete due to injury | |
2009 | Chinese National Games | Jinan, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.34 |
Asian Championships | Guangzhou, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.50 seconds | |
East Asian Games | Hong Kong, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.66 seconds | |
2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 7th | 60 m hurdles | 7.65 |
Asian Games | Guangzhou, China | 1st | 110 m hurdles
|
13.09 seconds | |
2011 | Asian Championships | Kobe, Japan | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.22 CR |
World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 2nd | 110 m hurdles | 13.27 seconds | |
2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 2nd | 60 m hurdles | 7.49 seconds |
IAAF Diamond League
|
Eugene, Oregon, United States | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.87s | |
Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | DNF | 110 m hurdles | Did not finish due to injury |
See also
- China at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- China at the World Championships in Athletics
- First Track & Field Gold medal for India
References
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- ^ Zhang, Flora (August 18, 2008). "On China's Web Sites, It's O.K. to Cry for Liu Xiang". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ "Athens 2004 Athletics - Results & Videos". International Olympic Committee. September 3, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, James (May 24, 2008). "Hopes for hurdler amid earthquake grief". BBC News. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ "China's Liu Xiang stumbles into 1st hurdle of preliminary heat and leaves Olympics early again". The Washington Post. August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.[dead link]
- Sina Corp. April 7, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ World Student Games (Universiade – Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
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- IAAF. (2010-11-19). Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ^ 70,000 watch Liu Xiang fly to 13.09sec victory – Asian Games, Day 4. IAAF. (2010-11-25). Retrieved 2019-10-12.
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- Sina Corp. August 29, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- IAAF. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ^ Arcoleo, Laura (2012-03-11). EVENT REPORT - Men's 60 Metres Hurdles - Final. IAAF. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
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- ^ Johnson, Len (2012-05-19). Liu Xiang and G. Dibaba the standouts in rainy Shanghai – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ^ Gains, Paul (2012-06-02). Liu Xiang stuns with 12.87w victory in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ^ 刘翔
- ^ "Injured Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang to have Achilles surgery in Britain". BBC Sport. BBC News. August 9, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
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- ^ 霍启刚郭晶晶"妇唱夫随" 为推广奥运献综艺首秀 (in Chinese). People's Daily. July 8, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Sina Visitor System" 周末好~大家是不是更加期待我们的《极速前进》第三季了呢? (in Chinese). Weibo. April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ "Liu Xiang Most Popular Athlete in China". English.cri.cn. May 14, 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ TIME Magazine – Asia Edition August 18, 2008
- ^ 本赛季户外7战首次失利 刘翔:把零距离变成负距离 (in Chinese).
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- ^ Xiaochen, Sun (September 10, 2014). "Star hurdler weds girlfriend". Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ Xinhua. January 9, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ "刘翔吴莎婚礼照疑曝光 两人在斐济完婚_体育频道_凤凰网". sports.ifeng.com. December 1, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ "Asafa Powell Debuts Nike Zoom Aerofly at Beijing". Speed Endurance. August 13, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2019.