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EUGENE, Oregon - No one has ever run the 110 metres hurdles fasterthan China's Liu Xiang did on Saturday, wind or no wind, but theformer world record holder was not ready to proclaim himself theking of the event again. He thrust his arms in celebration after running 12.87 seconds, aperformance that would have equalled Cuban Dayron Robles' worldrecord but for a 2.4 metres per second win in Eugene - just 0.4 mpsover the allowable for record purposes. Perhaps aware of how the stunning performance will increaseexpectations in China, Liu tried to downplay its implications nomatter how reporters at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond Leaguemeeting phrased their questions. Did he think he could now break the record? "No, I never think about that," he said. Did he now consider himself the favourite for the Olympic goldmedal in London? "I am already the (2004) Olympic champion in Athens," he saidthrough a translator. "So I never think about that. It is just arace for me." But no ordinary race. Only Robles with his 2008 world record and US double Olympicchampion Roger Kingdom have matched the time. Kingdom's 1989 run, like Liu's, was wind-assisted. "You never think about what time you can run," said Liu. But the performance obviously sent shockwaves around the hurdlesworld, especially to Cuba and Robles, who had been scheduled tocome to Eugene but pulled out when his visa was delayed. The Cuban's next race, slated to be in New York on June 9 in theBeijing Olympic champion's first US visit, will no doubt be closelywatched. For Liu, he can only hope to avoid injuries like the heartbreakingAchilles problem that forced him to drop out of the heats inBeijing four years ago and later required surgery. He showed he had regained his fitness last month when he clocked12.97, the yearly leader and his fastest time in five years, in hishometown of Shanghai. A change in his approach to the first hurdle has helpedtremendously as well. "The most surprising thing for me (this year) is the change for thestart, from eight to seven steps," said Liu, whose best non-windassisted time is 12.88, the world record for two years beforeRobles broke it. And even in his joy on Saturday, Liu found room for improvement. "I think my start was good," he said, "but I think I made somemistakes from the third to the sixth hurdles. "Maybe the wind pushed me," Liu said. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Continuous Casting Machine , Rolling Mill Equipment for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Melting Induction Furnace.
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