Huang Xiaoxiao reaches 400m hurdles final
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-12 08:55

HELSINKI, August 11 (Xinhua) -- Huang Xiaoxiao wants to prove Chinese women can also win honors in hurdles events, just like China's top sports star Liu Xiang, who won the men's 110 meters gold at the Athens Olympic Games.

The 22-year-old Huang became the first Chinese women to reach the final of the women's 400m hurdles at the world championships. And she qualified in surprising style.

"Liu Xiang is my idol," she said. "There is a lot to learn from him."

Huang, who was born in east China's port city Qingdao, led the field in Heat 1 of the semifinal on Thursday evening down the straight, but took second after easing up in the final meters believing she had won the heat.

Actually, she was beaten by Poland's Anna Jesien in a photo finish. They both clocked 54.34 seconds. The time was Huang's personal best.

Huang, who was raising both hands celebrating, could not believe she was second. "My god! why second again?" She was second in her heat in Wednesday's first round.

But she was very satisfied with the performance. She was jointly third overall among the 24 hurdlers, just behind Russia's Yuliya Pechonkina in 53.86 and American Sandra Glover in 54.16.

"I should have run better without the gusting wind," said the beaming Huang.

Huang said her goal at the world championships was to qualify past the first round, but after the first round, she knew she had a chance to go further.

"I found the top hurdlers are not in good forms. Maybe they have been affected too much by the weather. I told myself to take the chance," she said.

Huang has already proved number one in the women's 400m hurdles. She won the title in the 2003 Asian championships, and now she said it's time to win something from her first world championships.

"Liu Xiang always said: 'Everything is possible,'" Huang said with a smile when asked to predict her performance in Saturday's final.

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