Chinese athletics superstar Liu Xiang is playing down expectations for his performance at the London Olympics despite setting a season’s best time in the 110m hurdles in Shanghai on Saturday.
Liu became China’s first ever Olympic track champion at Athens 2004, but four years later caused national angst when he dramatically pulled out injured in front of a packed Bird’s Nest Stadium at Beijing 2008.
On his home turf in Shanghai at the Diamond League meeting on Saturday, he clocked 12.97 seconds in wet conditions to beat two Americans, David Oliver and world outdoor champion Jason Richardson.
“I didn’t think I would run within 13 seconds, so seeing 12.97 seconds makes me extremely happy,” he said after his victory.
Speaking to reporters, he sounded a note of modesty, saying it would be an honor merely to be in the Olympics — although he also said he was practicing his English. While China has yet to pick its three hurdlers, Liu is considered an automatic choice.
“I don’t think about breaking the world record,” he said. “I hope to keep this good form and give full play to my training. My dream is just to stand on the Olympic track.”
Fellow competitor Richardson said Liu seemed to draw strength from the home crowd, who roared as one when the Chinese hurdler crossed the finish line.
“He’s incredibly hard to beat here,” Richardson said. “What was surprising was to see an entire country get behind one athlete. I wish we had a little bit more of that in America.”
However, Liu also has to contend with the weight of expectations riding on his shoulders from the world’s most populous country.
Liu declined to answer questions about his specific goals for the Olympics or how he might handle Dayron Robles, the reigning Olympic champion.
“I hope to compete against him, but I want to say that every athlete is strong. He is only one. I’m not so bad myself,” Liu said.
Asked about the Achilles problem that forced him out of the Beijing Olympics four years ago, he responded: “We are challenging the extremes, not just having fun, so there is the risk of injury.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to