World 110m hurdles record holder Liu Xiang is gearing up for
this year's IAAF Osaka GP in May.
"I am looking for another win to make it my fourth consecutive
championship," declared the determined Olympic champion, who has
won the Osaka Grand Prix three times.
The 2007 IAAF grand prix outdoor meet takes starts on May 5, and
is seen as a dress rehearsal for August's world championships in
the same city.
Liu was scheduled to have outdoor training three or four times
this week at his usual training base in Shanghai. But coach Sun
Haiping told him to shorten his training schedule and have a rest
because Liu is doing better than Sun expected.
"Although Liu will be training less, it is much more effective,
"said Sun. "He runs better than my expectations."
Liu usually trains indoors, but because the Osaka meet is
outdoors, he will have to get accustomed to running outside as it
may affect him psychologically. "There should be few technical
adjustments so I'm not too concerned," the coach added.
But Sun's major concern is Liu's plethora of obligations to
sponsors.
Liu became a phenomenon in China after his sensational
performance at the Athens Olympics, and he is hot property among
advertisers.
But Liu says he would rather train than shoot commercials.
"The race is very important to me. And I want to perform well
before the World Championships in August, so my aim is to be in
good form by then," Liu added.
"They [commercials] affect my training regime", he said. "Maybe
making commercials is not as intense as training, but it's always
taking longer than I expect. I don't think I could become an actor.
It is torturous."
The absence of such rivals as Cuba's Dayron Robles, who had beat
the Chinese star in the same event in Stuttgart, will not be
competing in the May track meet, which means there is no strong
rivals against Liu. But the 110-meter hurdler said compatriot Shi
Dongpeng, another competitive Chinese hurdler is his best
opponent.
(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2007)