OSAKA (Japan), May 10: Olympic champion Liu Xiang stormed to victory in the 110 metres hurdles in treacherously wet and cold conditions at the Japan Grand Prix on Saturday.

Liu splashed home in 13.19 seconds with fellow Chinese Shi Dongpeng a distant second in 13.63 to stretch his unbeaten run in Osaka to six races, including last year’s world championships.

Liu was competing in his first major competition since winning the 60 metres hurdles at the world indoor championships in Valencia in March.

He led from the first hurdle and finished eight metres clear of Shi and Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall in third, clenching his fist in celebration as he crossed the line.

Informed that American David Oliver had posted the year’s fastest time of 12.95 in Doha on Friday, Liu flashed a smile and offered congratulations — with a calculated sting in the tail.

Liu, who became China’s first male Olympic track and field gold medallist at Athens in 2004, is scheduled to run just four more races before the Beijing Games in August.

Other than Oliver, Liu’s main Olympic threats are likely to be Cuba’s Dayron Robles and Americans Terrence Trammell and Allen Johnson, none of whom made the trip to Japan.

Meanwhile, world champion Brad Walker won the men’s pole vault at the IAAF event in Osaka, the American’s second attempt at 5.40 metres enough to earn victory.

China’s Olympic medal hopes were given a boost before the Beijing Games in the women’s field events, Song Aimin winning the discus, Zhang Wenxiu the hammer throw and Li Meiju the shot put.

Results:

MEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Hu Kai (China) 10.54 seconds; 2. Shingo Suetsugu (Japan) 10.55; 3. Patrick Johnson (Australia) 10.55.

200 metres: 1. Hitoshi Saito (Japan) 20.87 seconds; 2. Shinji Takahira (Japan) 20.88; 3. Kenji Fujimitsu (Japan) 21.06.

400 metres: 1. Liu Xiaosheng (China) 45.90 seconds; 2. Sanjay Ayre (Jamaica) 45.91; 3. Lewis Banda (Zimbabwe) 46.26.

800 metres: 1. Jeffrey Riseley (Australia) one minute 46.53 seconds; 2. Ryan Brown (US) 1:48.07; 3. Masato Yokota (Japan) 1:48.54.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Liu Xiang (China) 13.19 seconds; 2. Shi Dongpeng (China) 13.63; 3. Maurice Wignall (Jamaica) 13.84.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Kenji Narisako (Japan) 49.00 seconds; 2. Dean Griffiths (Jamaica) 50.32; 3. Brendan Cole (Australia) 50.34.

High jump: 1. Naoyuki Daigo (Japan) 2.18 metres; 2. Wang Chen (China) 2.15; 3. Satoru Kubota (Japan) 2.10.

Long jump: 1. Daisaku Arakawa (Japan) 7.77 metres; 2. Robert Crowther (Australia) 7.64; 3. Yohei Sugai (Japan) 7.59.

Pole vault: 1. Brad Walker (US) 5.40 metres; 2. Russ Buller (US) 5.30.

Hammer throw: 1. Vadim Devyatovskiy (Belarus) 78.41 metres; 2. Marco Lingua (Italy) 77.17; 3. Miloslav Konopka (Slovakia) 75.30.

WOMEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Carmelita Jeter (US) 11.30 seconds; 2. Chandra Sturrup (Bahamas) 11.53; 3. Chisato Fukushima (Japan) 11.56.

400 metres: 1. Mary Wineberg (US) 51.52 seconds; 2. Latosha Wallace (US) 52.45; 3. Asami Tanno (Japan) 52.55.

1,500 metres: 1. Yuriko Kobayashi (Japan) four minutes 13.96 seconds; 2. Lisa Corrigan (Australia) 4:14.24; 3. Sonja Roman (Slovenia) 4:14.44.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Huang Xiaoxiao (China) 55.22 seconds; 2. Shauna Smith (US) 57.36; 3. Lauren Boden (Australia) 57.48.

Long jump: 1. Kumiko Ikeda (Japan) 6.46 metres; 2. Sachiko Masumi (Japan) 6.27; 3. Chen Yaling (China) 6.16.

Pole vault: 1. Dana Ellis (Canada) 4.20 metres; 2. Li Ling (China) 4.20; 3 equal. Carly Dockendorf (Canada) 4.00, 3 equal. Ikuko Nishikori (Japan) 4.00.

Shot put: 1. Li Meiju (China) 18.46 metres; 2. Cleopatra Borel-Brown (Trinidad and Tobago) 18.40; 3. Li Ling (China) 18.17.

Discus throw: 1. Song Aimin (China) 60.38 metres; 2. Sun Taifeng (China) 60.24; 3. Aretha Thurmond (US) 58.99.

Hammer throw: 1. Zhang Wenxiu (China) 73.52 metres; 2. Masumi Aya (Japan) 63.55; 3. Yuka Murofushi (Japan) 62.20.—Reuters