Liu Xiang on his way to victory in Birmingham (© Getty Images)
Liu Xiang, the former Olympic champion in the 110m Hurdles and history's second fastest man in the event, continues to learn to take the good with the bad. Over the course of five days in February, he broke the Asian indoor 60m Hurdles record with a 7.41 sizzler in Birmingham but followed up with a false start disqualification in his next race in Stockholm. For the latter, the 28-year-old Chinese superstar explains, there was a silver lining.
"My feeling were mixed after taking part in two indoor meets in Europe. I was delighted that I broke the Asian Indoor Record of 60mH in Birmingham, England on the 18th of February, where my change from an 8 step start to a 7 step start has achieved initial success. The thing that did bother me though is that I was disqualified because of my false start in Stockholm, Sweden on February 23rd.
"But I think there was a silver lining for me that I was disqualified. It reminded me of my problems and shortcomings.
"Mistakes in competitions are inevitable and it doesn't really mean so much to me, more importantly for me is how to face it, accept it, pay attention to it, deal with it and let it go.
"The key for me is to be more attentive and to solve it in the following day’s preparation and training towards the upcoming World Indoor Championships in Turkey. I have confidence in myself along with the determination and ability to solve this problem. We will see in Turkey this weekend."
Liu Xiang