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W E E K E N DSharing the gloryEthnic Miao people are happy to be part of the Olympic torch relayPage 2Cuban missileCuba’s top hurdler Dayron Robles shaves one100th of a second off Liu Xiang’s recordPage12Saturday: Zunyi.cn? 2008 China Daily All Rights ReservedCMC INTERNATIONAL TENDERING CORP..cnF/6-8, Genertec Plaza, No. 90, Xisanhuan ZhongluFengtai District, Beijing 100055, ChinaTel: 86-10-
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No. 8777JUNE 14 - 15, 2008RMB ￥1.5Landmark cross-Straits deals signedHu: The two sides have wisdom and capability to solve problemsBy Wu JiaoStocks seethe largest weekly fall since ’96By Jin JingChinese mainland tour-ists will be able to visit Taiwan via chartered flights on weekends from next month, ac-cording to two landmark agreements signed on Friday.The deals were signed by the mainland’s As-sociation for Relations Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Across the Taiwan Communist Party of China Central Straits (ARATS) chair-Committee, greets Taiwan’s chief man Chen Yunlin and negotiator Chiang Pin-kun in Beijing Taiwan-based Straits on Friday. ReutersExchange Foundationy through (SEF) chairman Chiang Pin-still be required to ?kun after the semi-of? cial bod-Hong Kong airspace, the two ies completed their ? rst talks in sides agreed to start discussinga “direct ? ight route as soon as nearly a decade.The two sides agreed to start possible”.They also agreed to discuss the chartered flights fromchartered cargo ? ights and air July 4.c control coordination.To date, the service has been traf?“Now it is a beginning and the available only during majornext step will follow,” Michael Lo, Chinese festivals.Previous media reports sug-former chairman of the Taipei gested the flights would be Airlines Association, was quoted restricted to mainland and Tai-by Beijing News on Friday. wan travelers. But anyone with “We can’t expect to reach the valid travel documents will be ? nal target in one step. able to take them, according to “A good beginning is half the the agreement.job done.”Although the 36 ? ights eachVisit, Page 2weekend ― from Friday to Mon-? Editorial, Page 4day ― will, for the time being,PLA soldiers on Friday carry the cof? ns containingthe bodies of the ? ve crewmen who died when their military helicopter crashed on May 31. A solemn ceremony was held in Chengdu after the bodies were ? own in from Yingxiu town, the epi-center, before the bodies were cremated. XinhuaHeroes’ bodies cremated54 tourists died in quake, no foreignersFifty-four tourists were killed in the May 12 earthquake, but there are no reports of any foreigners being among the death toll, the Sichuan pro-vincial tourism bureau said in Chengdu on Friday.Zhang Gu, the bureau’s head, told a news brie? ng that 10,668 tourists were stranded after the quake, and more than 20 ? ights and 100 vehicles were used to evacuate them.Vice-governor Huang Yan-rong said 516 foreigners were stranded. They came from 12 countries, including the Republic of Korea, the United States and Australia.“The number of tourist deaths was reduced to a mini-mum due to the timely rescue effort,” Huang said.Sichuan’s tourism sector lost more than 50 billion yuan ($7.24 billion) in the quake.A group of tourists from Taiwan is expected to arrive atsituation remains had treated 95,572 people, Emei Mountain inSichuan next Mon-The number of severe, and efforts 77,962 of whom have beenbe made to discharged.day via a charteredtourist deaths must treat the injured, ? ight.As of Friday noon, about 1.17 was reduced resettle those left million tents, 4.772 million Sichuan hadexpected to receive to a minimum homeless and quilts, 14 million garments,prevent epidemic 978,300 tons of fuel oil and 8,000 Taiwan tour-outbreaks.ists who would due to timely 2.09 million tons of coal had “A people-first e by chartered rescue effort.policy should be fol-flights this year, Domestic and foreign dona-lowed” in the work tions have reached 45.5 billion officials at the HUANG YANRONGof governments at yuan in cash and goods.brie? ng said.Sichuan vice-governorall levels, it said.In Beijing on Fri-In the 24 hours ending Friday While asking all noon, 160 aftershocks had been day, a high-pro? lemeeting was held to discuss provinces, municipalities and monitored in the quake zone, disaster relief and reconstruc-autonomous regions to lend a none above 4.0 magnitude, thehelping hand, the meeting called China Earthquake Administra-tion after the Sichuan quake.President Hu Jintao, Premier on quake-hit areas to be self-reli-tion said.Wen Jiabao and other members ant in rebuilding homes.A total of 11,939 aftershocks of the Standing Committee of have been detected in the quake the Political Bureau of the CPC 4 more deathsarea since May 12.Central Committee attended the As of Friday, potential danger The death toll from the earth-meeting.quake rose by four overnight to had been removed from 12 of 34 High ranking of? cials from
69,163, as of Friday noon, with quake lakes in Sichuan.central government depart-374,142 injured and 17,445 ments and provincial govern-still missing, the State Council Xinhua - China Dailyments rmation Of? ce said.The meeting agreed the Also as of Friday, hospitals ? More, Pages 3, 4, 10Details of agreements? The weekend chartered ? ights will start on July 4. The ? rst ? As many as 3,000 mainland tourists could travel to the island ? In the meantime, only groups of 10 to 40 tourists can travel ? Mainaland and Taiwan airlines will each operate 18 of theweekend’s 36 return ? ights from Friday to Monday. Thenumber of ? ights will increase according to demand.? The mainland will ? rst open Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing to the ? ights, and gradually add Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Dalian, Guilin and Shenzhen, and possibly others.? Taiwan will have eight airports accepting the ? ights. One is the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which serves northern Taiwan. The others are in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Penghu, Hualien, Kinmen and Taitung.? Chartered ? ights still have to ? y through Hong Kong airspace for the time being, adding travel time. The mainland and Taiwan are to start discussing a direct ? ight route “as soon as possible” and air traf? c control system coordination.? Customs procedures will be simpli? ed. Airlines will swap representative of? ces within six months.? Charter ? ights during major festivals will continue.to Taiwan for a maximum stay of 10 days.per day, though the quota could be adjusted next year.mainland tour groups to Taiwan will also arrive on the same day.$26m cheated from social security fundsFraudulent claims involvingsocial security funds topped 180 million yuan ($26 million) and involved 60,000 people last year, the Ministry of Hu-man Resources and Social Se-curity revealed on its website on Thursday.A spokesman for the ministry said the scams were exposed during routine examinations in which 47.6 million bene? -ciaries of social security funds were examined.The money has been recov-ered, he said.But the ministry stopped short of explaining how it is dealing with scammers.In most cases they go un-punished because the amount scammed by each individual falls short of the fraud charge threshold.Since 2005, the ministry
has examined the collection and payment of social security funds.By the end of last year, authorities had checked 1.23 million enterprises across the country, covering 110 million people.The ministry also retrieved 24.2 billion yuan in pension funds owed by companies, ac-cording to the spokesman.The ministry issued the regu-lations on the management of social security funds last year.By the end of last year, de-tailed measures were workedout in 24 provinces, municipali-ties and autonomous regions nationwide.China’s social security sys-tem is made up of ? ve parts: pension insurance, medical insurance, work injury insur-ance, unemployment insur-ance and maternity insurance. About 300 million people were covered by it at the end of last year.Xinhua - China DailySHANGHAI: The mainland stock market plunged 13.8 percent over the past week, the largest one-week fall since December 1996, wiping out 3.07 trillion yuan ($445 billion) of market capitalization.The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slid 3 percent to close at 2868.8 on Friday, with 794 of 912 stocks closing lower. The Shenzhen Compo-nent Index fell 3.9 percent, down 403.42 points, to close at 9936.73, breaking the 10,000 psychological barrier.The Shenzhen Index slumped 15.3 percent over the past week.Turnover on the two bourses totaled 67.3 billion yuan on Friday, slightly down from Thursday.The mainland stock market has tumbled more than 45 percent since the beginning of the year.Many large-caps, including China Paci? c Insurance, Bank of Communications, PetroChina and China Shipping Container Lines Co Ltd, have fallen under their IPO prices.China Construction Bank fell 2.66 percent to close at 6.23 yuan yesterday, against its issue price of 6.45 yuan. Citic Bank slid 4.75 percent to 5.42 yuan, against its issue price of 5.8 yuan.Analysts said investors are still worried about possible further tightening measures by the government and the gloomy outlook hanging over the China and world equity market.Wu Feng, an analyst at TX Investment Consulting Co Ltd, said: “The weak investor senti-ment is unlikely to recover in the short term.”Individual investors are advised to stay away from the market until the picture be-comes clearer, he said.“It is hard to say where the bottom is, and the market may continue to dive.”The government is expected to maintain the tightening monetary measures to combat in? ation, analysts have said.Jing Ulrich, chairman of JPMorgan Securities China Equities, said: “Although food in? ation is moderating, grow-ing liquidity in the ? nancial system points to continuing in? ationary pressure.”Zhang Xiuqi, an analyst at Guotai Jun’an Securities in Shanghai, said: “So far, it’s hard to see any bottom to this market. I don’t see any signs of a rebound.”Agencies contributed to the storyIn this issue:News ....................................2 Wenchuan Quake ...............3Comment .............................4Beijing Weekend ............5-9Business ............................10 International .....................11 Sports.................................1243 trapped in Shanxi collieryTAIYUAN: A colliery blast in North China’s Shanxiprovince on Friday has left 43 miners trapped, local authori-ties said.The explosion occurred at about 11 am at the Anxin coal mine in the city of Xiaoyi.Fifty-eight miners were work-ing underground at the time, but 15 managed to escape, of? cials said.The mine passed a safety check earlier this year.XinhuaYahoo makes G Microsoft talks failSEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft’s plan to establish a strong footing in online ad-vertising suffered a big blow on Thursday, as merger talks with Yahoo ? nally failed and Yahoo said it would let Google sell search ads on its site.Separate statements from Mi-crosoft and Yahoo signaled a real rift between the two after their agonizing on-again, off-again talks, and Yahoo shares fell 10 percent, as ? nal hopes of a full or partial acquisition faded.Microsoft shares rose more than 4 percent as investors showed relief the company would not be paying too high a price for a deal they considered risky ― even though its biggestrivals on the Web aimed to work together.Yahoo said it had agreed to let Googleput search ads ― advertisements placed next to search results ― on its site in what it called an $800 million annual revenue opportunity that would boost cash ? ow by $250 million to $450 million in the ? rst 12 months.“Google has made an enor-mous gain strategically. This move might well have shut Mi-crosoft out of the online space altogether,” Sanford Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay said.Google and Yahoo, No 1????&1????????????????????????????????HOTLINES(86-10) -10) -10) ADVERTISEMENTSUBSCRIPTIONNEWSCOUNTDOWN55 days??????????????????????84 days??????????????????and No 2 in search, will pit ads against each other in auctions for the ad that pays the most.“Yahoo is being areseller of Google whenever it makes sense, and that is likely to be a lot of the time, given how much more effective Google Web search ads have proven to be,” Global Crown Capital ana-lyst Martin Pyykkonen said.The process is nonexclusive, meaning others could join in the bidding to place ads, a fac-tor that could make a deal easier to pass regulatory approval. The companies agreed to wait three and a half months for regulatory????,661????????????????????????????????????approval and to offer a way to end it if Yahoo is taken over.But the prospect of combin-ing the top search ad vendors in one system immediately raised fears. Senator Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat and chairman of a US Senate antitrust subcommittee, said lawmakers would “closely ex-amine” the plan.Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt likened the deal to ones in other industries where rivals ? nd ways to cooperate even as they compete.“The decision of showing ads is a Yahoo decision, not a Google decision,” he said.Microsoft, Page 2??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????包含各类专业文献、专业论文、幼儿教育、小学教育、中学教育、各类资格考试、外语学习资料、50第1版等内容。
　第1版 思路点拨 构造一元一次方程解题一、 根据相反数的定义构造 例 1 如果 3(x-4)的值与 4(1-x)的值互为相反数,那么 x 等于( ). A.-8 B.8 C.... 　第1版_数学_小学教育_教育专区。2013年第一季度第一版药讯第一版 药事管理剖宫产手术围手术期预防用抗菌药物管理实施细则 (征求意见稿)第一章 总则 第一条 为规... 　 9 电话:,2817157 网址: 第三章 控制器安装与调试 3.1 开箱检查检查控制器装箱单的内容是否与该... 　第1版_幼儿读物_幼儿教育_教育专区。呈钢简报 CHENG GANG JIAN BAO 我公司圆满举办 2014 年“钢花杯” 安全环保演讲决赛及优秀员工表彰大会 2014 年 7 月 25... 　(请排序) 第一版 120321 第七步:解决障碍的办法 (关键障碍, 不少于 5 种 解决方案) 第八步:期 限 第九步:行动计划 序号 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 　第一章第一节 一、选择题 1.生物体结构和功能的基本单位是 A.蛋白质 C.细胞 2.人体发育的起点是 A.婴儿 C.胎儿 走进细胞从生物圈到细胞 14.将单细胞生物... 　第1注音版 暂无评价|0人阅读|0次下载|举报文档 普通话练习材料普通话测试资料(一) 第一题 zh? qià xǔ t?ng ... 　第三版(1)_理学_高等教育_教育专区。“地壳运动与自然带”达标训练(二)吉林 杨森光 一、单项选择题(本大题共 15 个小题,每小题 4 分,共 60 分。在每小... 　1人教版第一册美术教案_其它课程_小学教育_教育专区。总第 1 课案 课题: 1、神奇的口袋 第 1 课时 课型: 教学执行时间: 年 造型 表现 月日 共需 1 课时...Athlete profile for Xiang Liu | iaaf.org
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Focus on Athletes biographies are produced by the IAAF Communications Dept, and not by the IAAF Statistics and Documentation Division. If you have any enquiries concerning the information, please use the , selecting ‘Focus on Athletes Biographies’ in the drop down menu of contact area options.(Updated 11 September 2006)LIU Xiang, China (110m hurdles)Born: 13 July, 1983, Shanghai, 1.89m / 85kg Coach: Sun Haiping - Personal best: 12.88 secondsAs an only child, Liu Xiang was born in Shanghai, a bustling metropolis in eastern China, on July 13, 1983 When the extended family gathered to discuss what name they should give to the baby, his aunt suggested his parents combine their surnames. This was fine idea as his mother's surname Ji means harmony in Chinese. "But it immediately occurred to me that Liu Ji in Chinese sounds like another two Chinese characters with the meaning: failure to advance to the next grade in school!" says Liu's mum, Ji Fenhua, now a retired pastry cook at the Shanghai Food Processing Factory. They finally opted for "Xiang," meaning "spreading wings to fly."Like many children in China, Liu was cared for by his grandparents for much of his childhood because his parents were busy with their jobs. His grandmother Chen Xiubao cooked a special dish that she believed would give him the energy required to sprint down a track and leap over obstacles. Specially braised pork in brown sauce has been a favourite of the athlete ever since.Liu's career path is a classic Chinese tale of being recruited for a sport at a young age - in Liu's case 12 - and placed in a school away from his family. Half a head taller than his peers, Liu was encouraged by his sports teachers to take up the high jump. He took classes for a half-day and trained the other half as a high jumper.Plans changed when Liu was about 15 as his sports school asked him to give up the event because a bone test showed that he would not grow tall enough to become a world-class jumper. Mr. Sun Haiping, already a prominent hurdles coach in China, saw Liu running the hurdles at the Shanghai Sports School No. 2. "I did not project too far, but I thought, 'He fits the hurdles.' His rhythm was very good," Sun says.Then, if not for Sun's persistence, Liu's career would probably have come to a halt. His parents withdrew him from the sports school and enrolled him in regular school. Sun lost contact for a couple months before approaching Liu about resuming training and returning to the sports school full time. A meeting was called with Liu's parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts." Over 20 of them," says Sun, 50, who spends more time with Liu than with his wife and college-age daughter. "There were big discussions. All of them didn't want him to come back. They wanted him to continue at full-time school. "Then Liu Xiang's father said, 'OK, it's settled. He should go to the sports school.' "The next day he was sent. I promised his father two things. First, I'd make sure Liu grew up as a good man of virtue. Second, I would make sure to improve his performance."In August 2001, at 18, Liu launched his career in fine style by impressively making the semifinals at the World Championships with a personal best of 13.32 seconds. That same month, just before he left for the 21st World University Games in Beijing,& tragedy struck. His grandmother was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. Liu was overwhelmed by the grief, but his emotions were also mixed with a burning desire to repay his grandmother's love. This debt of the heart enabled the then 18-year-old to win the 110m hurdles, a milestone in his career and a message to the world that a champion was emerging. Mr. Liu Xuegen, Liu Xiang's father, vividly remembers the day his son arrived home from the Games. "He rushed to the hospital immediately after getting off the train. He gently propped up his grandmother, tenderly hung the gold medal round her neck, and held it so that the medal would not become too heavy for his ailing grandmother," Liu Senior recalls.Two months later, Liu was claiming his second major win at the 9th National Games in Guangzhou, a city in southern China. A day before he was due to return home, he received news that his grandma had died during the Games. Though she had been ill for some time, her death still came as a shock for Liu. Devastated by deep sorrow, Liu swore that from then on, he would do his best to win every competition. &In 2002, Liu raced to victory in the 110m hurdles at the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne with a World Junior and Asian record time of 13.12 seconds, breaking Renaldo Nehemiah's 24-year-old World Junior record. The following year he earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in Athletics in Paris and projected himself as a medal contender for the 2004 Olympics, although he was not considered a favourite for the gold. However, in the final, Liu's technique was nearly perfect as he barely touched the sixth hurdle and cleared all of the others cleanly. He powered to an emphatic victory of almost three metres and tied the 11-year-old World record of 12.91 seconds held by Colin Jackson. At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki Ladji Doucouré of France edged past Liu to win gold, but Liu's second place is still the best result yet by a Chinese male athlete at World Championships.This year, Liu skipped a number of major competitions due to injuries and re-adjustment and won only twice before his recording-breaking performance in Lausanne. He made perfect debut in 2006 with success at the Osaka Grand Prix on May 6. His second major title came one month later at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States. Then came the miracle Liu promised less than two years ago in Athens. As his legs pumping with flawless precision to clock a World record time of 12.88 seconds at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting in Lausanne, Liu Xiang consolidated his status as world's fastest hurdler.Liu Xiang then went home to China to take part in the national championships in August, and only returned to Europe for the World Athletics Final, where he ran a scorching 12.93 on the track where Colin Jackson had set the World record which Liu Xiang first equalled then claimed for himself alone. The Chinese hurdler now owns 3 of the top 10 all-time performances over the high hurdles.In China, Liu has become a popular pitchman. He adorns outdoor advertising boards — promoting ing everything from cigarettes and soft drinks to clothing — and can incite a near-riot by appearing in public. Liu is a millionaire who shares a two-bedroom suite with his coach at a Shanghai training centre. Liu's agent, Mark Wetmore, says Liu keeps about 70% of his track earnings and more than 70% of his endorsement fees. The remainder of the money goes to the national track federation and Shanghai sports system that has nurtured him since he was about 12. Back home, Liu is beloved for his natural persona, in marked contrast to most of China's other elite athletes, who can only offer their fans canned statements about how much they love their motherland.China has won more than 100 Olympic gold medals since 1984. But nothing could compare to Liu's triumph. It was Liu who received the lion's share of the spoils - and the pressure to top that performance when the Olympics come to Beijing that goes with it.Progression: 1999 – 14.19 ; 2000& – 13.75 ; 2001 – 13.32 ; 2002 – 13.12 (WJR)& ; 2003 – 13.17 ; 2004 – 12.91 (WR=) ; 2005 – 13.05 ; 2006 – 12.88 (WR)Career highlights2001& 1st &110mH& World University Games&&&&&& &Beijing, China2002& 1st&110mH& Asian Championships&&&&&&&& &Manila, Philippines&1st&110mH& Asian Games&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &&Busan, South Korea 2003& 3rd&110mH& World Championships&&&&&&&& &Paris, France&3rd & 60mH&& World Indoor Championships&& &Birmingham, England2004& 1st&110mH& Olympic Games&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &Athens, Greece.&2nd& 60mH&& World Indoor Championships& &Budapest, Hungary2005& 2nd&110mH& World Championships&&&&&&& &Helsinki, Finland&&20061st &110mH& World Athletics Final&&Stuttgart, GermanyPrepared by Xiaoxian Yan for the IAAF Focus on Athletes project. (C) IAAF 2006.
Personal Best - Outdoor
Performance
110 Metres Hurdles
11 JUL 2006
Personal Best - Indoor
Performance
50 Metres Hurdles
Liévin
28 FEB 2004
60 Metres Hurdles
Birmingham, GBR
18 FEB 2012
Progression - Outdoor
110 Metres Hurdles
Performance
Eugene, OR
Beijing (National Stadium)
New York City, NY
Lausanne (Pontaise)
Athína (Olympic Stadium)
Santiago de Chile
Progression - Indoor
50 Metres Hurdles
Performance
Liévin
Liévin
60 Metres Hurdles
Performance
Birmingham, GBR
Doha (Aspire Dome)
Valencia (Velódromo Luis Puig), ESP
Budapest (Sportarena)
Honours - 60 Metres Hurdles
Istanbul (Ataköy Arena)
11 MAR 2012
Doha (Aspire Dome)
14 MAR 2010
Valencia (Velódromo Luis Puig), ESP
08 MAR 2008
Budapest (Sportarena)
06 MAR 2004
Birmingham (NIA), GBR
16 MAR 2003
Honours - 110 Metres Hurdles
London (Olympic Stadium)
07 AUG 2012
29 AUG 2011
Beijing (National Stadium)
18 AUG 2008
Osaka (Nagai Stadium)
31 AUG 2007
Athína (Olympic Stadium)
17 SEP 2006
09 SEP 2006
Helsinki (Olympic Stadium)
12 AUG 2005
Athína (Olympic Stadium)
27 AUG 2004
Monaco (Stade Louis II)
13 SEP 2003
Paris Saint-Denis (Stade de France)
30 AUG 2003
Madrid (CM)
21 SEP 2002
Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium)
08 AUG 2001
Santiago de Chile
20 OCT 2000
Focus on Athletes biographies are produced by the IAAF Communications Dept, and not by the IAAF Statistics and Documentation Division. If you have any enquiries concerning the information, please use the , selecting ‘Focus on Athletes Biographies’ in the drop down menu of contact area options.(Updated 11 September 2006)LIU Xiang, China (110m hurdles)Born: 13 July, 1983, Shanghai, 1.89m / 85kg Coach: Sun Haiping - Personal best: 12.88 secondsAs an only child, Liu Xiang was born in Shanghai, a bustling metropolis in eastern China, on July 13, 1983 When the extended family gathered to discuss what name they should give to the baby, his aunt suggested his parents combine their surnames. This was fine idea as his mother's surname Ji means harmony in Chinese. "But it immediately occurred to me that Liu Ji in Chinese sounds like another two Chinese characters with the meaning: failure to advance to the next grade in school!" says Liu's mum, Ji Fenhua, now a retired pastry cook at the Shanghai Food Processing Factory. They finally opted for "Xiang," meaning "spreading wings to fly."Like many children in China, Liu was cared for by his grandparents for much of his childhood because his parents were busy with their jobs. His grandmother Chen Xiubao cooked a special dish that she believed would give him the energy required to sprint down a track and leap over obstacles. Specially braised pork in brown sauce has been a favourite of the athlete ever since.Liu's career path is a classic Chinese tale of being recruited for a sport at a young age - in Liu's case 12 - and placed in a school away from his family. Half a head taller than his peers, Liu was encouraged by his sports teachers to take up the high jump. He took classes for a half-day and trained the other half as a high jumper.Plans changed when Liu was about 15 as his sports school asked him to give up the event because a bone test showed that he would not grow tall enough to become a world-class jumper. Mr. Sun Haiping, already a prominent hurdles coach in China, saw Liu running the hurdles at the Shanghai Sports School No. 2. "I did not project too far, but I thought, 'He fits the hurdles.' His rhythm was very good," Sun says.Then, if not for Sun's persistence, Liu's career would probably have come to a halt. His parents withdrew him from the sports school and enrolled him in regular school. Sun lost contact for a couple months before approaching Liu about resuming training and returning to the sports school full time. A meeting was called with Liu's parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts." Over 20 of them," says Sun, 50, who spends more time with Liu than with his wife and college-age daughter. "There were big discussions. All of them didn't want him to come back. They wanted him to continue at full-time school. "Then Liu Xiang's father said, 'OK, it's settled. He should go to the sports school.' "The next day he was sent. I promised his father two things. First, I'd make sure Liu grew up as a good man of virtue. Second, I would make sure to improve his performance."In August 2001, at 18, Liu launched his career in fine style by impressively making the semifinals at the World Championships with a personal best of 13.32 seconds. That same month, just before he left for the 21st World University Games in Beijing,& tragedy struck. His grandmother was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. Liu was overwhelmed by the grief, but his emotions were also mixed with a burning desire to repay his grandmother's love. This debt of the heart enabled the then 18-year-old to win the 110m hurdles, a milestone in his career and a message to the world that a champion was emerging. Mr. Liu Xuegen, Liu Xiang's father, vividly remembers the day his son arrived home from the Games. "He rushed to the hospital immediately after getting off the train. He gently propped up his grandmother, tenderly hung the gold medal round her neck, and held it so that the medal would not become too heavy for his ailing grandmother," Liu Senior recalls.Two months later, Liu was claiming his second major win at the 9th National Games in Guangzhou, a city in southern China. A day before he was due to return home, he received news that his grandma had died during the Games. Though she had been ill for some time, her death still came as a shock for Liu. Devastated by deep sorrow, Liu swore that from then on, he would do his best to win every competition. &In 2002, Liu raced to victory in the 110m hurdles at the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne with a World Junior and Asian record time of 13.12 seconds, breaking Renaldo Nehemiah's 24-year-old World Junior record. The following year he earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in Athletics in Paris and projected himself as a medal contender for the 2004 Olympics, although he was not considered a favourite for the gold. However, in the final, Liu's technique was nearly perfect as he barely touched the sixth hurdle and cleared all of the others cleanly. He powered to an emphatic victory of almost three metres and tied the 11-year-old World record of 12.91 seconds held by Colin Jackson. At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki Ladji Doucouré of France edged past Liu to win gold, but Liu's second place is still the best result yet by a Chinese male athlete at World Championships.This year, Liu skipped a number of major competitions due to injuries and re-adjustment and won only twice before his recording-breaking performance in Lausanne. He made perfect debut in 2006 with success at the Osaka Grand Prix on May 6. His second major title came one month later at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States. Then came the miracle Liu promised less than two years ago in Athens. As his legs pumping with flawless precision to clock a World record time of 12.88 seconds at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting in Lausanne, Liu Xiang consolidated his status as world's fastest hurdler.Liu Xiang then went home to China to take part in the national championships in August, and only returned to Europe for the World Athletics Final, where he ran a scorching 12.93 on the track where Colin Jackson had set the World record which Liu Xiang first equalled then claimed for himself alone. The Chinese hurdler now owns 3 of the top 10 all-time performances over the high hurdles.In China, Liu has become a popular pitchman. He adorns outdoor advertising boards — promoting ing everything from cigarettes and soft drinks to clothing — and can incite a near-riot by appearing in public. Liu is a millionaire who shares a two-bedroom suite with his coach at a Shanghai training centre. Liu's agent, Mark Wetmore, says Liu keeps about 70% of his track earnings and more than 70% of his endorsement fees. The remainder of the money goes to the national track federation and Shanghai sports system that has nurtured him since he was about 12. Back home, Liu is beloved for his natural persona, in marked contrast to most of China's other elite athletes, who can only offer their fans canned statements about how much they love their motherland.China has won more than 100 Olympic gold medals since 1984. But nothing could compare to Liu's triumph. It was Liu who received the lion's share of the spoils - and the pressure to top that performance when the Olympics come to Beijing that goes with it.Progression: 1999 – 14.19 ; 2000& – 13.75 ; 2001 – 13.32 ; 2002 – 13.12 (WJR)& ; 2003 – 13.17 ; 2004 – 12.91 (WR=) ; 2005 – 13.05 ; 2006 – 12.88 (WR)Career highlights2001& 1st &110mH& World University Games&&&&&& &Beijing, China2002& 1st&110mH& Asian Championships&&&&&&&& &Manila, Philippines&1st&110mH& Asian Games&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &&Busan, South Korea 2003& 3rd&110mH& World Championships&&&&&&&& &Paris, France&3rd & 60mH&& World Indoor Championships&& &Birmingham, England2004& 1st&110mH& Olympic Games&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &Athens, Greece.&2nd& 60mH&& World Indoor Championships& &Budapest, Hungary2005& 2nd&110mH& World Championships&&&&&&& &Helsinki, Finland&&20061st &110mH& World Athletics Final&&Stuttgart, GermanyPrepared by Xiaoxian Yan for the IAAF Focus on Athletes project. (C) IAAF 2006.