Liu Xiang (hurdler) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liu Xiang

Liu Xiang in 2010
Personal information
Nationality	Chinese
Born	(1983-07-13) July 13, 1983 (age 41) Putuo District of Shanghai
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Weight	87 kg (192 lb)
Sport
Country	China
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	110 m hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	200 m: 21.27 s (+0.6 m/s) (Shanghai 2002) 60 m hurdles: 7.41 s (Birmingham 2012) 110 m hurdles: 12.88 s (+1.1 m/s) (Lausanne 2006)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  China Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 110 m hurdles World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka 110 m hurdles Silver 2005 Helsinki 110 m hurdles Silver 2011 Daegu 110 m hurdles Bronze 2003 Paris 110 m hurdles World Indoor Championships Gold 2008 Valencia 60 m hurdles Silver 2004 Budapest 60 m hurdles Silver 2012 Istanbul 60 m hurdles Bronze 2003 Birmingham 60 m hurdles Asian Games Gold 2002 Busan 110 m hurdles Gold 2006 Doha 110 m hurdles Gold 2010 Guangzhou 110 m hurdles Asian Championships Gold 2002 Colombo 110 m hurdles Gold 2005 Incheon 110 m hurdles Gold 2009 Guangzhou 110 m hurdles
Updated on July 12, 2012.

Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang celebrating at the 2007 World Championship as he became World Champion.
Simplified Chinese	刘翔
Traditional Chinese	劉翔
Hanyu Pinyin	Liú Xiáng
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Xiáng Wade–Giles Liu Hsiang Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lau4 cheung4 Jyutping Lau4 Coeng4

Liu Xiang (simplified Chinese: 刘翔; traditional Chinese: 劉翔; pinyin: Liú Xiáng) is a famous Chinese athlete who used to compete in the 110-meter hurdles. He was born on July 13, 1983. Liu Xiang is a true champion, having won a gold medal at the Olympics and becoming a World Champion.

His gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics was a huge moment for China. It was the first time a Chinese man won a gold medal in a track and field event at the Olympics. Liu Xiang is known as one of China's most successful athletes and a cultural icon. He is the only male athlete in history to hold the 110-meter hurdles World Record, be a World Champion, and an Olympic Champion. He still holds the Olympic record for the men's 110-meter hurdles with a time of 12.91 seconds from the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Liu Xiang was expected to win more gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the London Olympics in 2012. Sadly, injuries forced him to withdraw from both events. He announced his retirement from the sport on April 7, 2015.

Liu Xiang's Athletics Journey

Starting His Career

Liu Xiang began to make a name for himself in the early 2000s. In May 2001, he won gold at the East Asian Games in Japan. Later that year, he also won at the Universiade in Beijing and the 2001 National Games of China.

In 2002, Liu Xiang set a new Asian record at a meeting in Switzerland, finishing the race in 13.12 seconds. This time also broke a nearly 25-year-old world junior record. The next year, he earned bronze medals in both the 60-meter hurdles and the 110-meter hurdles at major championships.

Olympic Glory in 2004

In May 2004, Liu Xiang beat a top American hurdler, Allen Johnson, with a personal best time of 13.06 seconds. He did even better at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Even though he wasn't the top favorite, he won the Olympic final with an amazing time of 12.91 seconds. This tied the world record set by Colin Jackson years before.

His win was a new Olympic record and made him the sixth man ever to run the event in under 13 seconds. This was China's first men's Olympic gold medal in track and field. It also showed that Asian athletes could compete at the highest level in sprint events. Liu Xiang said his medal "changes the opinion that Asian countries don't get good results in sprint races. I want to prove to all the world that Asians can run very fast."

After his victory, Liu Xiang became very popular in China. He was a student at East China Normal University at the time.

World Championships Success: 2005 and 2007

In August 2005, Liu Xiang won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Finland. He finished just 0.01 seconds behind the champion. In November 2005, he won gold at the East Asian Games in China.

In May 2006, Liu Xiang received the Laureus World Sports Award for Newcomer of the Year for his amazing performance at the 2004 Olympics.

On July 11, 2006, Liu Xiang set a new world record in the 110-meter hurdles in Switzerland with a time of 12.88 seconds. This record was officially approved. In September, he won gold at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Germany.

On August 31, 2007, at the World Athletics Championships in Japan, Liu Xiang won gold in the 110-meter hurdles with 12.95 seconds. This made him a World Champion.

Beijing Olympics Challenges

Leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, many people in China hoped Liu Xiang would win another gold medal at home. However, on August 18, Liu Xiang had to withdraw from the Olympic 110-meter hurdles. He walked off the track after a false start in his first race, which shocked the crowd.

Liu Xiang's coach explained that Liu had a long-term problem with his right Achilles tendon. Liu Xiang later apologized to the Chinese media, saying he had to pull out because of his foot injury. He promised to "come back" for the next Olympics. This injury also kept him out of the major competition in 2009.

Returning from Injury: 2009–2011

After being away for 13 months due to his injury, Liu Xiang finally returned to competition at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. He finished second, but he was happy with his performance. Later that year, he won gold medals at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, the East Asian Games, and the Chinese National Games.

At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Qatar, Liu Xiang finished seventh in the 60-meter hurdles final. He later showed he was back in top form at the 2010 Asian Games. He won his third straight title at the event, setting a new Games record with a time of 13.09 seconds.

In May 2011, Liu Xiang returned to a world-class level at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. He beat David Oliver, who was the fastest hurdler in 2010, with a world-leading time of 13.07 seconds. He also changed his starting technique to improve his performance.

On August 29, 2011, Liu Xiang competed in the 110-meter hurdles final at the IAAF World Championships in South Korea. He finished third but was later awarded the silver medal because the winner, Dayron Robles, was disqualified for interfering with Liu's lane.

The 2012 Season and Retirement

In 2012, Liu Xiang started strong, setting an Asian record of 7.41 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. He was a favorite for the World Indoor Championships but won a silver medal instead. In the outdoor season, he ran 12.97 seconds to win at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, his first time under 13 seconds since 2007. He then ran 12.87 seconds to win another race, matching the world record time, though with a bit of wind assistance.

At the London Olympics in 2012, Liu Xiang faced another challenge. He pulled his Achilles tendon while trying to clear the first hurdle and crashed into it. Despite the injury, he hopped the entire 110-meter distance. Other competitors helped him, and he was taken away in a wheelchair. Before leaving the track, he bravely kissed the last hurdle. This was a very sad moment for the sport. His injury sparked discussions about why he chose to compete despite being hurt. Liu Xiang later had surgery on his Achilles tendon.

On April 7, 2015, Liu Xiang announced his retirement. He had not competed since the 2012 Olympics. He explained that his body was no longer able to perform at the level he wanted, despite his desire to continue.

In 2016, Liu Xiang appeared on a reality TV show called The Amazing Race China 3, finishing in third place.

Liu Xiang's Personal Life

Liu Xiang is known for being a private person, but he is one of the most popular athletes in China. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine's Asian edition for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Liu Xiang donated about 2,500,000 yuan (around 364,000 US dollars) to help with relief efforts after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Liu Xiang married actress Ge Tian on September 7, 2014. They later divorced in 2015. On January 9, 2016, Liu Xiang announced he was in a new relationship with pole vaulter Wu Sha. They had a small wedding ceremony in Fiji on December 1, 2016.

Liu Xiang's athletic gear is sponsored by Nike. He has also been a spokesperson for companies like Coca-Cola and Cadillac.

Major Competition Results

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  China
2000	World Junior Championships	Santiago, Chile	4th	110 m hurdles	13.87
2001	World University Games	Beijing, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.33 seconds
	World Championships	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	4th (semis)	110 m hurdles	13.51
	Chinese National Games	Guangzhou, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.36
	East Asian Games	Osaka, Japan	1st	110 m hurdles	13.42 seconds
2002	Athletissima	Lausanne, Switzerland	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.12 seconds (WJR/AR)
	Asian Championships	Colombo, Sri Lanka	1st	110 m hurdles	13.56 seconds
	IAAF World Cup	Madrid, Spain	DNF	110 m hurdles	—
	Asian Games	Busan, South Korea	1st	110 m hurdles	13.27 seconds
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	3rd	60 m hurdles	7.52 seconds
	World Championships	Paris, France	3rd	110 m hurdles	13.24 seconds
	World Athletics Final	Monaco	4th	110 m hurdles	13.27
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.43 seconds
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	1st	110 m hurdles	12.91 seconds (=WR)
2005	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.08 seconds
	Chinese National Games	Nanjing, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.10
	Asian Championships	Incheon, South Korea	1st	110 m hurdles	13.30
	East Asian Games	Macau, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.21 seconds
2006	IAAF Super Grand Prix	Lausanne, Switzerland	1st	110 m hurdles	12.88 seconds (WR)
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	110 m hurdles	12.93 seconds
	World Cup	Athens, Greece	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.03
	Asian Games	Doha, Qatar	1st	110 m hurdles	13.15 seconds
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	110 m hurdles	12.95 seconds
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	1st	60 m hurdles	7.46 seconds
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	DNF	110 m hurdles	Could not compete due to injury
2009	Chinese National Games	Jinan, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.34
	Asian Championships	Guangzhou, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.50 seconds
	East Asian Games	Hong Kong, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.66 seconds
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	7th	60 m hurdles	7.65
	Asian Games	Guangzhou, China	1st	110 m hurdles	13.09 seconds
2011	Asian Championships	Kobe, Japan	1st	110 m hurdles	13.22 CR
	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.27 seconds
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.49 seconds
	IAAF Diamond League	Eugene, Oregon, United States	1st	110 m hurdles	12.87s
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	DNF	110 m hurdles	Did not finish due to injury

Track Records Held by Liu Xiang

As of September 11, 2024, Liu Xiang holds the following track records for the 110-meter hurdles:

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See also

• China at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• China at the World Championships in Athletics
• First Track & Field Gold medal for India