Liu Xiang (hurdler) facts for kids
Liu Xiang in 2010
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| Nationality | Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 13, 1983 Putuo District, Shanghai |
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| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  China |
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 110 m hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 50 m hurdles 6.44 s AR (Liévin 2004) 60 m hurdles: 7.41 s AR (Birmingham 2012) 110 m hurdles: 12.88 s AR (+1.1 m/s) (Lausanne 2006) 200 m: 21.27 s (+0.6 m/s) (Shanghai 2002) |
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Medal record
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| Updated on July 12, 2012. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liu Xiang | |||||||||||||||
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Liu Xiang celebrating at the 2007 World Championship as he became World Champion.
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| Simplified Chinese | 刘翔 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉翔 | ||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Liú Xiáng | ||||||||||||||
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Liu Xiang (born July 13, 1983) is a famous Chinese former hurdler. He competed in the 110 metres hurdles event. Liu is an Olympic gold medalist and a World Champion. His gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics was a huge moment for China. It was China's first Olympic gold medal in athletics.
Liu is known as one of China's most successful athletes. He became a cultural icon in his home country. He is the only male athlete in history to hold the world record, be a World Champion, and an Olympic Champion in the 110-meter hurdles. He still holds the Olympic record for the men's 110-meter hurdles. He set this record with a time of 12.91 seconds at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Liu was expected to win another gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, he had to stop competing due to an injury. He also faced injury at the 2012 London Olympics. He retired from the sport on April 7, 2015.
Contents
Liu Xiang's Amazing Career
Starting His Journey
Liu Xiang began his career with great success. In May 2001, he won a race at the East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan. His time was 13.42 seconds. Later that year, in August 2001, he won at the Universiade in Beijing. He also won at the 2001 National Games of China.
In 2002, Liu set a new Asian record at the Athletissima meeting. He finished the race in 13.12 seconds. This time also broke a very old world junior record. The next year, he earned bronze medals. He won one in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He won another in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics.
Winning Gold at the 2004 Olympics
In May 2004, Liu competed in an IAAF Grand Prix race in Osaka, Japan. He beat Allen Johnson and set a new personal best of 13.06 seconds. He did even better at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Many people did not expect him to win. But he won the Olympic final by a lot. He earned the gold medal with a time of 12.91 seconds. This time tied the world record set by Colin Jackson years before.
It was also a new Olympic record. His performance made him the sixth man to run under 13 seconds in the event. This was China's first men's Olympic gold medal in athletics. Liu showed that Asian athletes could be top sprinters. He said his medal changed the idea that Asian countries don't do well in sprint races. He wanted to prove that Asians can run very fast.
After his win in Athens, Liu became very popular. He was a 21-year-old student at East China Normal University. Many companies wanted him to promote their products. The Chinese Track and Field Association allowed him to make four such deals. Liu finished that year with four of the ten fastest times. He competed in 17 finals and only lost two races.
World Championships Success in 2005 and 2007
In August 2005, Liu won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Finland. He finished in 13.08 seconds. This was just 0.01 second behind the champion, Ladji Doucouré. In November 2005, he won the East Asian Games in Macau, China. His time there was 13.21 seconds.
In May 2005, Liu received the Laureus World Sports Award for Newcomer of the Year. This award was for his amazing performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
On July 11, 2006, Liu set a new world record in the 110-meter hurdles. This happened at the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Lausanne. His time was 12.88 seconds. The IAAF (now World Athletics) officially approved this record. In the same race, American Dominique Arnold also beat the old record with a time of 12.90 seconds. In September, Liu won gold at the 2006 IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany. His winning time was 12.93 seconds.
On August 31, 2007, Liu won gold at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan. He finished the 110-meter hurdles in 12.95 seconds. This made him the world champion.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics
Before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, everyone in China hoped Liu would win again. On August 18, Liu had to withdraw from the Olympic 110-meter hurdles race. He walked off the track after a false start by another runner. The crowd at the Beijing National Stadium was shocked and sad. Many people cried. It was a very disappointing moment for China.
China's track and field association said Liu had a problem with his right Achilles tendon. His coach, Sun Haiping, explained that Liu had been dealing with this injury for many years. He said they worked very hard, but the injury made it impossible to compete. Liu apologized to the Chinese media the next day. He said he had no choice but to pull out because of his foot. He hoped the injury would not stop him from future races. He promised to "come back" for the next Olympics.
Liu's injury was serious. It also kept him from competing in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. However, his coach was sure he would be ready for the Chinese national championships and the 2009 Asian Championships in Athletics later that year.
Returning from Injury (2009–2011)
After being away for 13 months due to his injury, Liu finally returned to racing. He competed at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. Liu finished with a time of 13.15 seconds, tying Terrence Trammell. He was awarded second place. Liu said he was happy with how he performed. Towards the end of the year, he competed in several big events in China. He won gold medals at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, the East Asian Games, and the 11th Chinese National Games.
At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Liu admitted his right foot was not fully recovered. He still made it to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles but finished seventh. He competed in the Shanghai Grand Prix, where he lost to Shi Dongpeng. After a six-month break, he returned strong at the 2010 Asian Games. A huge crowd watched him win his third straight title. He broke the Games record with a time of 13.09 seconds. This made him the third fastest athlete that season.
In May 2011, Liu showed he was back to a world-class level at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. He beat David Oliver, who was the fastest hurdler in 2010. Liu set a world-leading time of 13.07 seconds. He also changed his technique, using seven steps instead of eight before the first hurdle.
On August 29, 2011, Liu Xiang competed in the 110-meter hurdles final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Liu was in a good position to win gold. But Dayron Robles moved into Liu's lane and pulled him back. This messed up Liu's race, and he finished third. His medal was later changed to silver after Robles was disqualified.
The 2012 Season and Retirement
In his first race of 2012, Liu competed against Dayron Robles at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix. Liu won with an Asian record time of 7.41 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. He was a favorite to win at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. However, he finished second to Aries Merritt and got a silver medal. In the outdoor season, he set a new record at the Golden Grand Prix Kawasaki. Then he ran 12.97 seconds to win at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in China. This was his first time running under 13 seconds since 2007. He beat American hurdlers David Oliver and Jason Richardson. He then ran 12.87 seconds to win at the Prefontaine Classic. This time matched the world record, but it had some wind help.
At the London Olympics in 2012, Liu faced another injury. He pulled his Achilles tendon while trying to clear the first hurdle. He crashed into it instead. Liu then hopped the entire 110-meter track. Other competitors helped him, and he was taken away in a wheelchair. He kissed the last hurdle before leaving the track. Many people felt sad for him. Liu's injury caused a lot of discussion in China. Some people supported him, while others wondered why he competed if he was injured. He even got the nickname "Liu PaoPao" because of his injuries in two Olympics. Liu had surgery on his Achilles tendon in Britain.
On April 7, 2015, Liu announced his retirement. He posted a statement on his Sina Weibo social media account. He had not competed since the 2012 Olympic race. In his message, he said he was retiring after two years of trying to recover. He wrote that his heart still wanted to compete, but his foot kept saying no.
In 2016, Liu was part of a reality TV show called The Amazing Race China 3. He finished in 3rd place overall with his best friend.
Liu Xiang's Life Outside the Track
Liu is known for being a private person. However, he became 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 donated about 2,500,000 yuan (which was about US$364,000) to help with the 2008 Sichuan earthquake relief efforts.
Liu married Ge Tian, an actress, on September 7, 2014. They had been dating for two years before they got married. They divorced in 2015. On January 9, 2016, Liu Xiang announced he was in a new relationship with pole vaulter Wu Sha on his Sina Weibo. On December 1, 2016, Liu and Wu had a small wedding ceremony in Fiji.
Liu's sports gear was sponsored by Nike. He also worked as a spokesperson for Coca-Cola and Cadillac.
Images for kids
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Liu Xiang in 2010
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Liu Xiang celebrating at the 2007 World Championship
See also
In Spanish: Liu Xiang para niños
