Liu Xiang - the first male gold medallist for China (© Getty Images)
The People’s Republic of China which is sending a team of 36 athletes to the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland (6 – 14 August) have included both of their Olympic champions from last summer, Liu Xiang (110m Hurdles) and Xing Huina (women’s 10,000m), even though team coaches are claiming they are not in top-form.
For a nation which has swamped media coverage on the two Olympic stars since their victories in Athens, the news of bad form and illness might just be a sensible precaution on behalf of the team management in an effort to reduce the overwhelming weight of national expectation that has arisen ahead of next week’s World Championships and this autumn’s National Games.
Liu Xiang – was injured but is now nearing top form
Whatever the reason, the words of Liu Xiang’s coach Sun Haiping, last Thursday that his pupil was “not in good shape,” is not something that can be lightly disregarded.
The joint World record holder for the 110m Hurdles “is not as strong as before the Athens Olympic Games last year. At that time, he was ready to create miracles in Athens. But now he is not in a good form," the coach told the Xinhua news agency. In fact he has been carrying a minor knee injury this season.
However, the 2003 World Championships bronze medallist, who has raced eleven times (since 16 April) during this outdoor season, has taken excellent victories in Eugene (IAAF Grand Prix) with 13.06, and in Lausanne (IAAF Super Grand Prix) and 13.05 (season’s best)
He gave up his original plan to run all six legs of the TDK Golden League, after coming third in Paris in 13.06 (1 July) and second in Rome in 13.24 (8 July), and returned home to focus all his attention on the World Championships, which will be held from August 6 to 14.
"He has been recovering very well and training very hard. And the injury is not a problem any more. He is nearing the level he had before the Athens Olympics," confirmed Sun but who also warned the media, "It was a perfect performance in Athens and don't expect it to happen again.”
Xing Huina - not feeling well
Feng Shuyong, the head coach of the Chinese national team does not believe that Xing Huina, the Olympic women’s 10,000m champion can repeat her victory in Helsinki.
"Xing does not feel very well. I don't believe she can win this time," he told Xinhua.
The 21-year-old came seventh in the last World Championships in Paris in 2003, setting a World Junior record of 30:31.55 in the process. Her personal best for 10,000m stands at the 30:24.36 which she ran in Athens to surprise the world for gold on 27 August 2004.
Xing Huina has only run three times so far this year. She took the 5000m title (15:31.10) in the national championships and was also placed second at the 1500m (4:16.52), having also run a heat (4:21.84). These races took place at the end of June (24 / 25), and nothing has been heard of her since.
Sun Yingjie, the World 10,000m bronze medallist will take part in both the women’s 5000m and 10,000m, as will Xing Huina. Sun Yingjie was 8th and 6th respectively in the Olympic finals for both distances.
Overall hopes
Head Coach Feng would not predict the level of Chinese success in Helsinki. "Let's leave this question to the athletes. If they perform to their best, anything is possible."
The Chinese team will also be hopeful of medal chances via the full squad of nine athletes in the three Race Walking events.
Chris Turner and Xinhua News Agency for the IAAF
Team List:
PB (personal best); SB (season’s best); QB (qualifying best)
MEN
200m
Yang Yaozu 09/01/1981
PB 20.58 10/10/2002 Busan
SB 20.88 14/05/2005 Atlanta, GA
QB 20.59 24/08/2004 Athens
110m Hurdles
Liu Xiang 13/07/1983
PB 12.91 27/08/2004 Athens
SB 13.05 05/07/2005 Lausanne
QB 12.91 27/08/2004 Athens
Shi Dongpeng 06/01/1984
PB/SB/QB 13.29 20/06/2005 Shijiazhuang
Wu Youjia 06/05/1983
PB/SB/QB 13.55 18/06/2005 Sidoarjo
Pole Vault
Liu Feiliang 27/03/1985
PB/SB/QB 5.70m 04/06/2005 Eugene, OR
Triple Jump
Li Yanxi 26/06/1984
PB/ SB/QB 17.15m 04/06/2005 Eugene, OR
Discus Throw
Wu Tao 03/10/1983
PB/SB/QB 64.28m 15/05/2005 Chongqing
Javelin Throw
Li Rongxiang 18/01/1972
PB 84.29 10/05/2000 Chengdu
SB 81.61 10/04/2005 Chengdu
QB 83.32 18/07/2004 Beijing
Decathlon
Qi Haifeng 07/08/1983
PB/SB/QB 8290 29/05/2005 Götzis
20km Race Walk
Liu Yunfeng 03/08/1979
PB/SB/QB 1:18:33 23/04/2005 Cixi
Yu Chaohong 12/12/1976
PB/SB/QB 1:18:30 23/04/2005 Cixi
Zhu Hongjun 18/08/1981
PB/SB/QB 1:17:41 23/04/2005 Cixi
50 Km Race Walk
Han Yucheng 16/12/1978
PB/SB/QB 3:36:20 27/02/2005 Nanning
Xing Shucai 04/08/1984
PB/SB/QB 3:37:58 27/02/2005 Nanning
Zhao Chengliang 01/06/1984
PB/SB/QB 3:38:56 27/02/2005 Nanning
WOMEN
5000m
Sun Yingjie 19/01/1979
PB 14:40.41 12/10/2002 Busan
SB 15:42.61 24/06/2005 Changsha
QB 15:03.00 20/08/2004 Athens
Xing Huina 25/02/1984
PB 14:56.01 20/08/2004 Athens
SB 15:31.10 24/06/2005 Changsha
QB 14:56.01 20/08/2004 Athens
10,000m
Sun Yingjie 19/01/1979
PB 30:07.20 23/08/2003 Paris Saint-Denis
SB 32:43.20 26/06/2005 Changsha
QB 30:54.37 27/08/2004 Athens
Xing Huina 25/02/1984
PB 30:24.36 27/08/2004 Athens
QB 30:24.36 27/08/2004 Athens
Marathon
Zhou Chunxiu 15/11/1978
PB/SB/QB 2:23:24 13/03/2005 Seoul
100m Hurdles
Feng Yun 23/02/1976
PB 12.85 25/08/1999 Sevilla
SB 12.92 11/06/2005 New York, NY
QB 12.92 11/06/2005 New York, NY
400m Hurdles
Huang Xiaoxiao 03/03/1983
PB 54.83 21/08/2004 Athína
SB 55.51 24/04/2005 Zhongshan
QB 54.83 21/08/2004 Athína
Wang Xing 30/11/1986
PB/SB/QB 55.39 26/06/2005 Changsha
High Jump
Zheng Xingjuan 20/03/1989
PB/SB/QB 1.92 24/04/2005 Zhongshan
Pole Vault
Gao Shuying 28/10/1979
PB 4.52 29/08/2001 Beijing
SB 4.45 14/05/2005 Chongqing
QB 4.45 04/07/2004 Iráklio
Zhao Yingying 15/02/1986 Accepted
PB 4.40 01/05/2004 Nanjing / 31/07/2004 Tianjin
SB 4.30 25/06/2005 Changsha / 21/05/2005 Yixing / 23/04/2005 Zhongshan
QB 4.45 (Pole Vault) 24/02/2005 Madrid
Triple Jump
Huang Qiuyan 05/01/1980
PB 14.72 22/11/2001 Guangzhou
SB 14.36 25/06/2005 Changsha
QB 14.66 21/08/2004 Athína
Shot Put
Li Meiju 23/01/1981
PB/SB/QB 19.05m 24/06/2005 Changsha
Discus Throw
Ma Shuli 20/01/1978
PB/SB/QB 62.50m 23/04/2005 Zhongshan
Song Aimin 15/03/1978
PB 65.33m 24/05/2003 Shijiazhuang
SB 65.23m 18/06/2005 Sidoarjo
QB 65.23m 18/06/2005 Sidoarjo
Hammer Throw
Gu Yuan 09/05/1982
PB 72.36 04/07/2004 Padova
SB 70.50 24/04/2005 Zhongshan
QB 72.36 04/07/2004 Padova
Zhang Wenxiu 22/03/1986
PB/SB/QB 73.24 24/06/2005 Changsha
Javelin Throw
Xue Juan 10/02/1986
PB 62.93 27/10/2003 Changsha
SB 59.72 25/06/2005 Changsha
QB 60.90 17/04/2004 Nanning
20 Km Race Walk
Jiang Jing 23/10/1985
PB/SB/QB 1:27:19 25/02/2005 Nanning
Song Hongjuan 04/07/1984
PB 1:26:46 20/03/2004 Guangzhou
SB 1:28:26 25/02/2005 Nanning
QB 1:26:46 20/03/2004 Guangzhou
Wang Liping 08/07/1976
PB 1:26:23 19/11/2001 Guangzhou
SB 1:27:24 25/02/2005 Nanning
QB 1:27:24 25/02/2005 Nanning
