BEIJING, June 8, 2007 (AFP) - Hurdler Liu Xiang sees Ladji Doucoure of France as his main threat at the world championships this year and the Olympics in 2008 rather than Allen Johnson or Terrence Trammell.
Liu’s long-time coach Sun Haiping said the world record holder was feeling very strong'' and looking forward to testing himself against his key rivals for the first time this season at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on Sunday. He (Doucoure) has not competed in the 110m hurdles since he got injured last year, but Doucoure is young and athletic and will remain Liu’s biggest rival in upcoming competitions,’’ Sun told the Beijing Evening News.
Even in the 2008 Beijing Games, I still think he will pose the biggest challenge to Liu's defense of his Olympic title.'' Liu, who won at Prefontaine last year, will face three-time world outdoor champion and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Johnson, as well as Doucoure -- runner-up last year -- and American record holder Dominique Arnold on Sunday. The Chinese star arrives in Eugene fresh from a world-leading 12.92sec victory at New York last weekend. Sun said Liu's form is even better than in New York. Liu feels much better than last week. We have kept on training since the win in New York,’’ he said.
Now with the world's best all coming together, it is a good chance for Liu to compete with them and better know their form before the world championships in August. The rankings show that Liu is very strong. We want to keep the top position as long as possible.’’