Now Liu Xiang knows who could be the man to ambush him at home next year at the Beijing Olympics.
Cuba's Dayron Robles matched Liu's fastest time of the year in winning Sunday's 110m hurdles race at the World Athletics Final in 12.92 seconds and joined two others in a share of fourth place on the all-time list.
Liu, the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder at 12.88, added the gold medal at the World Championship that ended earlier this month in Osaka, Japan.
He skipped the weekend's Stuttgart competition.
"Liu has such confidence in himself. He runs perfect. That is what I miss," Robles said. "In the next year I can get to that level."
"He is running at home and he is expected to run as fast as he can. The most important thing is mental and psychological preparation. I will work with my coach, my mental coach, doctor and physio. It will be team work," Robles said.
"I was so disappointed in Osaka," said Robles, who finished fourth at the worlds. "I never thought pressure would have such an influence on my performance. I felt sad like never before and then I realized I was the youngest in the field and competing against the best."
In the 400m Sanya Richards, of the US was in a class of her own and matched her fastest time in the world this season leaving the opposition far behind.
In the 100m, Carmelita Jeter led a 1-2 US finish, beating triple Osaka gold medalist Allyson Felix.
Jeter clocked 11.10, while Felix finished in 11.15. Christine Arron of France was third in 11.20.
The men's 200m saw Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway improve his personal best by .36 seconds by blazing home in 19.89. With the world 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay staying away from the meet, two other Americans were behind the Gambian-born Norwegian.
Wallace Spearmon was second in 20.18 and Rodney Martin clocked 20.27 in third.
Richards powered home in 49.27 seconds, matching the time she clocked in Berlin one week ago that made her 6-for-6 in Golden League races.
Novlene Williams of Jamaica was about 5m behind at the finish line in 50.12. Christine Ohuruogu of Britain, the world champion, was third in 50.12.
Los Angeles-born Italian Andrew Howe won the long jump with a leap of 8.35m. He lost the world gold on the last jump to Irving Saladino of Panama, who did not compete at Stuttgart.
Donald Thomas of the Bahamas confirmed his world title by winning the high jump at 2.32m.
Brad Walker of the US won the pole vault at 5.91m, then attempted the impossible -- beating Sergei Bubka's world record of 6.15m. With the bar at 6.16, Walker didn't come close.
Edwin Cheruiyot Soi added the 5,000m to his 3,000m win on Saturday, which made it a US$60,000 weekend for the Kenyan.
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