Source:AFP-Global Times Published: 2013-5-18 0:13:01
China can produce another Liu Xiang if the former Olympic 110m hurdles champion retires, a Chinese athlete who hopes to follow in the superstar's footsteps said Friday, ahead of Shanghai's Diamond League meeting.
Liu, China's first Olympic track and field gold medalist, became a national hero with his victory at Athens 2004 but caused heartbreak in Beijing four years later when he pulled out of the final with a right Achilles injury.
Another dramatic exit with a similar problem followed at London 2012 and his Achilles troubles mean he will miss the entire 2013 season, leading some media reports in China to question whether he will ever return.
Now many Chinese fans are pinning their hopes on Xie Wenjun, who came third in the 60m hurdles at February's Athletics Grand Prix in Birmingham.
"China has a lot of top athletes, especially in the men's 110m hurdles," the 22-year-old told reporters at a news conference in Shanghai, in response to questions about Liu's future.
"I hope that tomorrow Chinese athletes show the world that we are also talented and can achieve very good results."
Reigning Olympic champion Aries Merritt and silver medalist Jason Richardson go head-to-head in the 110m hurdles again in Shanghai, one of the most hotly anticipated events of the meeting.
Merritt said he expected that if Liu chose to return he would come back "in tip-top form," as he did when he beat both the London 2012 top two with a stunning performance at last year's Shanghai Diamond meeting.