SHANGHAI, May 21, 2010 (AFP) - Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang predicted he would not finish in the top three at his weekend season debut, saying he still felt pain after surgery on the injury that forced him out of the Beijing Olympics.
Let's be frank. I have not been in good form in recent training,'' Liu told a news conference on Friday, two days before the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai. Liu said he was experiencing pain and inflammation around his Achilles tendon during training and estimated his time in the 110m hurdle race would be 13.50 seconds. Of course this is not enough to make it into the top three,’’ he said.
He pulled out of Japan’s Osaka Grand Prix two weeks ago because of the injury.
Liu, who became the first Chinese man to win an Olympics track and field gold at the 2004 Athens Games, has been striving to regain his record-breaking form since the injury forced him out of the Beijing Games in 2008.
On Sunday, Liu will face 110m hurdles world champion Ryan Braithwaite of Barbados and American David Oliver, who won bronze at the indoor championships.
Liu said he hoped racing in his hometown would boost his morale but warned he was not feeling as strong as he did at last September’s Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, when he raced for the first time since his December 2008 surgery.
``I want to surprise everyone. But ultimately it is decided by training strength. I will try to run my best, but my current status is not as good as I was in the Golden League last year,’’ he said.