Liu Xiang’s Olympic Hurdles

The Times‘ John Goodbody takes a look at China’s great athletic medal hope, Liu Xiang:

It has always been destined to be a victory parade, the moment when the Chinese celebrate their staging of the Olympics with the nation’s favourite sportsman winning their only gold medal on the track. There may be stacks of successes in the more traditional Chinese sports, such as table tennis and diving, gymnastics and weight-lifting, which should propel the country to the top of the medal table for the first time. However, what the host nation has craved has been to adorn the Bird’s Nest stadium with Liu Xiang winning the 110m hurdles, to demonstrate how the Chinese can excel in an event for which they do not seem physically suited.