China's flying hurdler, Liu Xiang (刘翔) has done it again. Yesterday in Kobe, Japan, Liu clocked 13.22 seconds in the 110-hurdles event, re-writing the Asian Athletics Championships record. The first Chinese athlete to achieve the "triple crown" of athletics (World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion), Liu has been making a steady comeback since his shocking pullout from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His world record of 12.88 seconds, set 2006 at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, was broken by Cuba's Dayron Robles two years later. Robles continues to hold the world record of 12.87 seconds today.
Liu Xiang sets new Asian Championships record for 110-metre hurdles
Tuesday Timewaster: China's most awesome hurdler
So does one give this guy points for trying, or not?
Liu Xiang Documentary: Chase
We've always been big fans of Liu Xiang, even when he was starring in really silly Coke commercials, even when he ruined the dreams and hopes of a billion people with his bum leg during the Beijing Olympics. So it comes as a great relief to us that he's back on top now, after his great showing at both the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix and China's 11th National Games.
Liu fever is back at Asian athletic championships
The Asian Games in Guangzhou kick off tomorrow and everyone's eyes are on China's perennial favorite hurdler Liu Xiang's 110m hurdle, where he's expected to sweep the gold. After his second-place (but really tied for first) performance at the Golden Grand Prix, and his recent win at the National Games victory seems likely tomorrow night.
Video: For those who didn't see Liu Xiang at the Golden Grand Prix
We reported on Liu Xiang's comeback at the Golden Grand Prix last weekend, but we were so distracted by his Christ-like stigmata pose that we didn't actually think to look on Chinese video streams to watch the magic moment happen.
Liu Xiang almost as good as he used to be
Yao Ming may or may not be out for the count, but Shanghai sports lovers can still count on Liu Xiang to possibly bring them sports glory. The 26-year-old hurdler was in top form during an open training class at Shanghai's Xinzhuang Training Base, according to China Daily. Because of his Achilles tendon injury - the one that made all of China wail during the Beijing Olympics - he could still only train with sneakers, rather than spikes. But Liu Xiang put on a brave face, even ripping his shirt off and running aorund topless near the end of the session. That's all well and good, but our PC radar perked up at one of the reactions China Daily recorded from one of his foreign fans. French student Juliette Borque told the paper, "He is the first Chinese to win the Olympic gold medal (in the event). I thought it's interesting, since normally it is always black guys that win. So I started to follow him." Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep?
Liu Xiang's done, just can't say it yet
First we heard that hurdler Liu Xiang (刘翔)would not likely recover from injury in time for world championships in August of this year, setting instead a target of returning for the Shanghai Grand Prix in September. Now, Team Liu seems to be prepping fans for the possibility that the one-time world record holder and former Olympic champion—whose failure to compete was China's biggest disappointment last August—might soon hang up his spikes for good.
Shocker: Liu Xiang pulls out of Beijing Olympics
Former Olympic gold medalist hurdler and golden boy for millions of Chinese, Liu Xiang, limped off the track today, taking away with him the hopes of defending the gold and reclaiming his world record from Cuba's Dayron Robles.

