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April 17, 2014

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Diamond League slated for May 18

THE 2014 IAAF Shanghai Diamond League will be held on May 18 at Shanghai Stadium, organizers announced yesterday.

Nine world champions and five Olympic gold medalists headline the list of stars at the international track and field meeting. With no news about Liu Xiang’s comeback, fellow hurdler Xie Wenjun will carry China’s hopes on the track.

Jamaican triple world sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is among those confirmed for the meeting. The 27-year-old will test her early season form over 200 meters in Shanghai. She won the 100 last year.

David Oliver returned to form in 2013, winning his first 110 hurdles world title in Moscow. The American won nine races last season though he could only finish 4th in Shanghai last year. Oliver will again take on Xie, last year’s bronze medalist.

“David and I have competed against each other lots of times, and we are good friends off the track. I want to keep learning from him, and of course, beat him,” Xie said yesterday, adding that he considers former Olympic champion Liu as his idol.

“Liu has taught me a lot in training and all other aspects. I won’t say I can surpass him, but I’ll do my best to try and approach his best record.”

Xie’s coach Sun Haiping, who is also Liu’s long-term mentor, said the 23-year-old will need to overcome some technical barriers if he wants to improve further.

“Athletes are different from person to person, some can run under 13 seconds, some cannot. Everybody has his limitation. As for Xie, if he can solve some technical problems in training, which he is working on right now, he can achieve more,” said Sun.

Xie’s personal best in the 110 hurdles is 13.28 seconds at last year’s Shanghai Diamond League. Liu’s best is 12.87 set at the Diamond League in the United States in 2012, but it was not counted as a tying world record due to favorable wind conditions.

Sun revealed that Liu is still recovering from his foot surgery, and is likely to miss the Asian Games in Kuwait in September.

Meanwhile, Jehue Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago will make his debut in Shanghai after clinching his first world title in the 400 hurdles in Moscow nine months ago.

Also, local hope Yang Yansheng, pole vault champion at the 2012 edition, will challenge Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, world silver medalist in Moscow last year.




 

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