I've never been so nervous, says world champ Liu
OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — Champion hurdler Liu Xiang admitted he had never been so nervous after claiming China's first ever men's world athletics title.
The 110 metres star triumphed after getting off to a slow start and breaking the golden rule by looking across at his rivals before the finish.
Liu pipped America's Terrence Trammell in 12.95 seconds to claim another first for Chinese men after his 2004 Olympic title. The time was outside his world record 12.88 set last year.
"I have never been so nervous, even more nervous than in the Athens Olympics," said Liu.
"Too many people in China are watching me now. In Athens, I was little known. But I overcame all the pressure and tension and won the gold medal."
The gangly Shanghai native, 24, said he felt huge pressure with the hopes of millions of Chinese on his shoulders and already felt the weight of expectation ahead of next year's Beijing Olympics.
Liu, who is mobbed by voracious Chinese press and fans wherever he goes, admitted he found it difficult to sleep and rarely left his hotel room.
"Nowadays there is too much pressure," he complained.
"The others can hide but I'm number one in the world. I win the gold medal here and next year I'm expected to win the Olympics.
"Today before the race I just stayed in my hotel room. Every time I go out there's pressure on me, I don't get good sleep."
With American rivals Allen Johnson and Dominique Arnold missing the world championships, and defending champion Ladji Doucoure crashing out in the semis, the race was Liu's to lose.
But Liu trailed Trammell over 50 metres before clawing his way to the front, scattering the penultimate hurdle and taking a lingering look across the track as he crossed the line.
"My start wasn't great, maybe I was a bit nervous or tired," Liu said.
"After the last hurdle I couldn't bear it any more so I looked around to see how fast the others were running. It wasn't really intentional.
"At that point anyone could have won but I got there first, so I'm very happy."
Liu has not enjoyed the same success at previous world championships, claiming bronze in 2003 and silver two years ago in Helsinki.
But the win wrote another chapter in his storybook career and ensured Liu remained unbeaten in Osaka, where he broke the Asian record in 2004 before storming to Olympic gold and has won the Japan Grand Prix four times running.
Chinese state newspapers boiled over with patriotic fervour as the giant nation saluted its favourite son.
"Liu strikes gold in Japan," screamed the China Daily.
"This is Liu Xiang's first world athletics gold, and is also China's first male gold medal at the world championships history," proclaimed the mass-circulation Beijing News on its front page.
A headline in the popular Beijing Youth Daily said: "Olympic, world athletics champion and world record in one."
Liu rocketed to superstar status at the 2004 Olympics when he equalled Colin Jackson's world record of 12.91 and became the first Asian man to win Olympic track gold.
He smashed Jackson's 13-year-old world mark with 12.88 in Lausanne last year, and now holds three of the top 10 all-time performances.
Liu's 2005 silver was China's solitary success at the Helsinki championships, a tally it has now doubled with Zhang Wenxiu taking women's hammer bronze in a pre-Olympics boost for the country.
