麻豆APP

Photo by Nmlascan from

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Liu Xiang

The son of a  driver at a water company and a pastry cook at a food factory, Liu was raised by his grandparents because his parents were too busy working.

Liu Xiang, (born July 13, 1983, Shanghai, China), hurdler who in 2004 brought China its first Olympic gold medal in a men鈥檚 track-and-field event.

LIU Xiang is the most accomplished athlete in the history of Chinese athletics. Before him, no Chinese athlete had ever won a medal in an Olympic sprint event.

Liu first became involved in athletics as a high jumper. Then, at the age of 16, he started to train in hurdles with his coach Sun Haiping.

Liu was very fast at the time, so he and his coach decided to put more focus on hurdling. And from that moment, his legend was born.

Inspired by the achievements and performances of Allen Johnson and Colin Jackson, Liu improved very quickly and went on to win many titles.

The titles include four World Athletics Championship medals (one gold, two silvers and one bronze); three consecutive Asian Games gold medals and the medal that made him world-famous – the gold at Athens 2004.

For more interesting facts about Liu Xiang read on.

1. Liu Xiang won the First Olympics Hurdles Gold for China

Image by Eckhard Pecher (Arcimboldo) from

Xiang (sheeahang) means 鈥渢o soar鈥� in Chinese.

Liu Xiang won the gold medal in 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. He was the first Chinese man to win an Olympic track and field gold medal.

Liu  achieved this milestone in stunning fashion at the age of 21 with a time of 12.91.

He is the  first Asian and non-black to break 13 seconds in an event that he wasn鈥檛 supposed to win.

Liu Xiang, the Chinese former 110-meter hurdler is one of China’s most successful athletes and has emerged as a cultural icon.

He really soared.

2. Liu Xiang is an Official Classroom Text

Image by Qianhui Wei from

Shanghai recognised Liu Xiang鈥檚 economic rise and under direction from the city, authorities included the story of the Olympic gold medallist in course material for elementary schools in his native city.

As such a 900-Chinese character story on his Olympic victory, entitled “Leaping into the new century” has appeared in a newly-updated textbook for Grade Five students.

“Since Liu’s heroic deeds inspired people long after the Olympic Games, we changed the original editing plan a little bit and added his story into the textbook,” one of the editors of the book was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency. “We hope Liu will be a positive example for students.”

3.  Liu Xiang was a Marketer鈥檚 Dream

Image by Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia). from

Nike swung into action even before most Chinese knew they had a new hero.

The moment hurdler Liu Xiang became the country’s first Olympic medalist in a short-distance speed event–he claimed the gold with a new Olympic record in the 110-m hurdles on Aug. 28, Nike launched a television advertisement in China showing Liu destroying the field.

China considered Liu鈥檚 gold  鈥渢he heaviest鈥� 鈥� an allusion to the fact it was the most significant one for them in 2004. 

He carried the Chinese flag at the closing ceremonies and was rewarded for his performance with endorsement deals with Nike, Visa, Yili milk, China Mobile and Coca-Cola.

Interestingly. There was a time he sang on television and was offered a $600,000 recording contract.

The fact that he is tall (six foot two), handsome and has an easy, slightly-cocky, self-assured demeanour and has smartly styled hair hasn鈥檛 hurt his marketability.

4. Liu Xiang the Showman

Image by Ni Shaoyin from

In July 2006, Liu set a new world record in the 110-meter hurdles, with a time of 12.88 seconds, at a track meet on the Pontaise track in Lausanne, Switzerland.

To celebrate he ran a victory lap without a shirt and climbed on a red metal clock that showed his winning time and clowned around and posed happily for photos.

Afterwards, he said 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it, I can鈥檛 express it. I had a good start and after the first five hurdles, it was a perfect race. I think I can still run even faster.鈥�

The previous record was first set by Britain鈥檚 Colin Jackson in August 1993 and equalled by Liu in 2004 at the Olympics.

A natural showman, Liu once sang live in a concert after a track meet in Shanghai and filmed a music video with South Korean pop star Se7en in Shanghai Stadium.

In one television commercial, the hurdler chases a kangaroo across the Australian outback.

5. As a Child his Family and Coaches had Chosen the High Jump Sport

Image by from

Liu was enrolled by his family in a district sports elementary school. Based on his bone structure, large feet and long Achilles tendon he was designated as a high jumper in the fourth grade.

He was good at age-group high jumping. At the age of 16, he matriculated to Shanghai No. 2 Sports School, one of the city鈥檚 top training schools.

He continued to train in the high jump there but didn鈥檛 make much progress.

liu Xiang switched to the hurdles and debuted internationally at the world junior championships in 2000, finishing fourth in the 110-metre event.

He won the same race at the 2001 World University Games and in 2002 set world junior records indoors in the 60-metre hurdles (7.55 sec) and outdoors in the 110-metre hurdles (13.12 sec).

6. Coach Sun Haiping was Integral to Liu Xiang Success

At Shanghai No. 2 Sports School he was hazed, beaten and relentlessly teased by older teammates, so much so his parents wanted to transfer him to a regular school.

At this point coach Sun Haiping intervened. Sun was a renowned coach with a national reputation. He was coaching the school鈥檚 A team and convinced Liu鈥檚 family the teenager had talent and should stay at the school.

Liu鈥檚 father later told the New York Times, 鈥淚 trusted Sun…”

As of 2007, Liu had three of the best times ever in the 110-meter hurdles. He attributes much of his success to his coach.

In November 2006 he gave his coach a $200,000 apartment that he acquired through a sponsorship deal.

7. Liu Xiang鈥檚 Olympic Victory Broke Racial Stereotypes

Image by Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia) from

Liu achievement was a slap in the face to naysayers that insisted that Asians would never be sprinters. Before Liu, no Chinese had ever competed in an Olympic hurdles final before.

Liu dedicated his Olympics victory to 鈥渁ll the yellow-skinned people鈥� and called his performance a 鈥渕iracle.鈥�

鈥淏ecause I鈥檓 Chinese,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd have the physiology of the Asian race to me this is a miracle. But because of it, I expect more miracles in the future.鈥�

Among the biggest naysayers were the Chinese themselves. An article in the People鈥檚 Daily a few days before his Olympic victory described how Asian athletes were best suited for skill sports like gymnastics, badminton and ping pong while 鈥渃ongenial shortcomings鈥� and 鈥済enetic differences鈥� kept them from competing as equals with blacks and whites in purely athletic events.

Liu鈥檚 own coach attributed his victory to his technique and hard work not his ability.

8. During the Beijing Olympics he carried the Burden of over 2 Billion People

Chinese 110 metre hurdler LIU Xiang at Beijing 2008 Olympics; Beijing National Stadium; Beijing, P.R.China. Image by Alex Needham from

An Internet poll before the Olympics found that the No. 1 wish among Chinese was for Liu to win a gold medal.

For Liu, national pride was at stake plus a desire to show the world that China can excel at something other than 鈥渟mall ball鈥� sports and diving and compete with the best in a sport usually won by Western athletes.

The expectations placed on his shoulders were similar to those put on Cathy Freeman in Sydney in 2000 when she represented both Australia and the Aboriginal people.

Freeman later said of Liu, 鈥淗e is under more pressure than I was. I鈥檓 glad my career is over.鈥�

Liu鈥檚 coach said, 鈥淥fficials told us if Liu could not win a gold medal in Beijing, all of his previous achievements would become meaningless.鈥�

Zhang Min, a professor of international studies at the People鈥檚 University told the Washington Post, 鈥淵ao Ming is just famous, but nobody expects him to win a gold medal, Liu Xiang鈥檚 big breakthrough in track and field is not only for China but all of East Asia…His win in Athens helped eliminate a deep inferiority complex in Chinese people鈥檚 hearts.鈥�

9. Liu Xiang Beijing Olympics Withdrawal disappointed the whole Nation

When it became apparent that Liu was not going to compete Chinese fans began leaving the Bird鈥檚 Nest stadium almost as soon as Liu left the track, some looking as if a loved one had just died.

A Chinese woman in her 60s told Sports Illustrated, 鈥淲e were all looking forward to Liu Xiang winning the gold at the Olympics…It is the biggest letdown of the Olympics, but there is nothing we can do because it was an injury.鈥�

One fan quoted in the New York Times said, 鈥淚 am sure he鈥檚 the one that regrets this the most, not anyone else. We feel disappointed of course, but we still like him as a person.鈥�

But some were suspicious and others were outright hostile, saying things he 鈥渟tained the motherland鈥� and should have crawled on his hand to finish the race.

He was called a 鈥渞unaway soldier鈥� who committed a 鈥渃owardly act鈥� and 鈥渉urt 1.3 billion people 鈥渁 new world record鈥� and was compared with a school teacher that ran from his classroom during the Sichuan earthquake, leaving his students behind.

Some speculated that he withdrew because he knew he could not win and had already made a fortune.

10.  The China Government took Agency Fees from his Winnings and Endorsements

Image by from

Before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Liu was visible on billboards and 鈥淕o for it China!鈥� posters and in advertisements on television.

An insurance company even valued his legs at $13.5 million, an offer he refused.

He plugged Coca-Cola, Nike shoes and Lenovo laptops. He endorsed Cadillac cars even though he was not allowed to have a driver鈥檚 license.

One Nike ad ends with him saying, 鈥淚 am Liu Xiang, Who are you?鈥� A marketing director at Coca-Cola told the New York Times, 鈥淗e represents national pride, we want to celebrate that.鈥�

According to one Chinese magazine, Liu earned $8.75 million to $10.2 million in endorsements in 2007. Forbes said the figure was more than $23 million.

The government reportedly negotiated his endorsement and took half the money, with provincial and state federations taking 25 % of his commercial earnings. His parents oversee his share.

Liu was the great local star of the 2008 Beijing Games and favourite to win the 110-meter hurdles.

He famously limped off the track after just two strides at the games held in his homeland to the massive disappointment of an entire nation.

The injury troubles and the Achilles tendon problems (his leg was strapped in London) never really went away for the hurdler.

Liu went a few steps further in London than he did in Beijing but not much. He crashed into the first hurdle and his Olympics were over.