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Star hurdler Liu Xiang 'needs more' for comeback

By Sun Xiaochen (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-08 09:17

ABU DHABI - Chinese star hurdler Liu Xiang won the men's 110m hurdles at last year's Guangzhou Asian Games with a new Games' record but he will need to do more to prove his comeback, Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Edwin Moses said.

"Yes, he won the Asian Games title with a dazzling result, but he didn't compete in the last World Championships or other international competitions. I am not sure about his form right now. Maybe, this year's World Championships is a good chance for him to prove he's really come back," Moses told China Daily at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, where the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards were given out.

The academy is an association made up of 46 sporting legends and the annual awards are considered to be the "Oscars" of sports.

Liu Xiang, the Olympic and world champion hurdler, withdrew from the international arena after his Achilles tendon surgery two years ago. He sought to recover his tempo over the hurdles after withdrawing from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and picked up events very cautiously on the world calendar to steady his rehabilitation.

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Apart from the Guangzhou Asian Games, Liu competed in four international events including the East Asian Games, the Doha World Indoor Championships and the IAAF Diamond League Shanghai leg in the past two years, while spending much time in the United States to monitor his injury and train.

Moses, himself a hurdling legend, said Liu needs more persistent appearances at big events to convince people of his comeback and the Worlds in Daegu, South Korea, is an ideal opportunity.

"It depends on how he competes at this year's World Championships," Moses said of the 2007 world champion.

The two-time 400m Olympic champion in 1976 and 1984 said Liu's situation is totally understandable.

"When you have an injury in track and field, you are 50 percent out of the business. It's pretty hard to come back on the track as well as before. So after the injury, the process of getting back is critical," Moses said.

"He still has a chance."

Liu won the second Laureus Awards for China in the newcomer category in 2005, similar to Houston Rockets' all-star center Yao Ming's accolade in 2003. But no one else has managed to emulate their achievements by being nominated for the awards in recent years.

However, China's top women's tennis player Li Na, who stormed into the final at the Australian Open last month and became the first Asian player to record that achievement at a Grand Slam event, is likely to bring the country another Laureus trophy next year.

"It's possible (for Li to win next year's Breakthrough of the Year Award). She is competitive," Moses said.

"But it's up to the media that follow sports all year round and vote for the nominees. And then, we (the Laureus committee) could pick it from the five to seven athletes they choose. It's an objective process and a global will that we are proud of."

The 55-year-old chairman also believes China is on the right track to play a pivotal role on the global sporting arena - and as a possible host of the Laureus gala ceremony.

"If there is someone or some groups in China who are interested in bringing Laureus over there, the country has a high possibility of hosting the ceremony," he said.