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| September 24, 2006 | Sunday | Sha'aban 30, 1427 |
Liu battles back to delight home fans
SHANGHAI, Sept 23: Chinese superstar Liu Xiang staged a miraculous recovery to win the men's 110m hurdles at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix on Saturday.
After a dreadful start, the world record-holder trailed arch-rival Allen Johnson until the last hurdle before dipping over the line in 13.07 seconds in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
“My start wasn't good but luckily after halfway I started getting into it and running faster, so I beat Allen,” said Liu, 23.
“The time wasn't great -- I've only just come back to Asia and I haven't been sleeping that well. I'm a little bit tired but my fitness is pretty good.”
The win rounds off another superlative season for Liu, who set the world mark 12.88 sec in July, and avenges last week's defeat to four-time world champion Johnson in Athens.
Earlier, US sprinter Shawn Crawford ended a dismal season with another disastrous 100m performance.
The Olympic 200 metres champion clocked just 10.33 seconds to finish a distant seventh behind team-mate Marcus Brunson, with world indoor champion Leonard Scott and Wallace Spearmon completing a US clean-sweep.
Brunson won the race in 10.03 seconds, 0.04 off the relative unknown's personal best.
US team-mate Allyson Felix, the world 200 metres champion, dominated the women's 100m to win in 11.17 seconds, ahead of former world champion Torri Edwards and Jamaica's Aleen Bailey.
Evergreen sprint queen Merlene Ottey, 46, finished seventh after a season plagued by injury.
Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner pulled up with a right leg problem early in the men's 400 metres, leaving world junior champion Lashawn Merritt to power home ahead of Alleyne Francique and Michael Blackwood.
Wariner's female equivalent, Tonique Williams-Darling, faded on the last bend and Jamaica's Novlene Williams outstripped Deedee Trotter to clinch an enthralling women's 400 metres race in 49.64 seconds, equalling her personal best.
Vania Stambolova of Bulgaria was third with Williams-Darling fourth.
Kenya's Augustine Choge won the men's 1,500 metres ahead of world 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres champion Kenenisa Bekele, with Nicholas Kemboi third.
Women's world champion Tirunesh Dibaba pipped Gelete Burka of Ethiopia by just one hundredth of a second to win the 5,000 metres in 14.55.63 seconds.
Michelle Perry led the women's 100 metres hurdles from start to finish, winning in 12.60 seconds.
The one-day meeting featured seven current Olympic champions and was the final event on the IAAF calendar.
Leading results:
MEN’S:
High jump: 1. Yaroslaw Rybakov (Russia) 2.33 metres; 2. Tora Harris (US) 2.31; 3. Linus Thornblad (Sweden) 2.29.
Shot put: 1. Christian Cantwell (US) 21.08 metres; 2. Tomasz Majewski (Poland) 20.66; 3. Dan Taylor (US) 20.48.
Long jump: 1. Ignisious Gaisah (Ghana) 8.16 metres; 2. Fabrice Lapierre (Australia) 8.02; 3. Aarik Wilson (US) 8.01.
100 metres: 1. Marcus Brunson (US) 10.03 seconds; 2. Leonard Scott (US) 10.09; 3. Wallace Spearmon (US) 10.11.
1,500 metres: 1. Augustine Choge (Kenya) three minutes 33.01 seconds; 2. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 3:33.13; 3. Nicholas Kemboi (Kenya) 3:34.61.
400 metres: 1. Lashawn Merritt (US) 45.10 seconds; 2. Alleyne Francique (Grenada) 45.34; 3. Michael Blackwood (Jamaica) 45.36.
110-metre hurdle: 1. Liu Xiang (China) 13.07 seconds; 2. Allen Johnson (US) 13.09; 3. Aries Merritt (US) 13.34.
WOMEN’S:
Pole vault: 1. Nastja Ryjikh (Germany) 4.51 metres; 2. Gao Shuying (China) 4.41; 2. Monika Pyrek (Poland) 4.41.
400-metre hurdle: 1. Yevgeniya Isakova (Ukraine) 53.98 seconds; 2. Tiffany Ross-Williams (US) 54.26; 3. Huang Xiaoxiao (China) 54.69.
100 metres: 1. Allyson Felix (US) 11.17 seconds; 2. Torri Edwards (US) 11.27; 3. Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) 11.41.
3,000-metre steeple chase: 1. Alesia Turava (Belarus) nine minutes 29.68 seconds; 2. Wioletta Janowska (Poland) 9:31.30; 3. Salome Chepchumba (Kenya) 9:38.97.
400 metres: 1. Novlene Williams (Jamaica) 49.63 seconds; 2. Deedee Trotter (US) 49.80; 3. Vania Stambolova (Bulgaria) 50.04.
5,000 metres: 1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Kenya) 14 minutes 55.63 seconds; 2. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 14:55.64; 3. Mestewat Tufa (Ethiopia) 15:00.68.
100-metre hurdle: 1. Michelle Perry (US) 12.60 seconds; 2. Damu Cherry (US) 12.64; 3. Joanna Hayes (US) 12.90.—AFP
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