Liu far from his best but cruises into Asian final

Liu Xiang led from the start in the 110-meter hurdles heat to qualify for the final at the Asian Athletics Championships.

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ATHENS Olympic champion Liu Xiang cruised into the men's 110m hurdles final at the 18th Asian Athletics Championships in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, yesterday.

The 26-year-old Liu, who clocked 13.34 seconds at the National Games last month, took the lead from the start and finished first in 13.82 seconds in Heat One.

The result was far off from his former world record and personal best of 12.88.

"I was a little worried before the race," said Sun Haiping, Liu's coach. "Because anything can happen during the race."

"The result was OK," he said. "Liu's form is good, and if someone clocks 13.60 in the final, he will finish within 13.40."

According to Sun, the Asian championships was important for Liu.

"Only the winner here can race in next year's World Cup," he said.

Shi Dongpeng, who finished fifth at the 2007 Worlds, clocked 13.87 in the preliminary to qualify for the final.

The men's 110m hurdles final is today evening and Liu is expecting to win his third straight gold at the Asian championships.

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