Liu Xiang ends Oliver’s winning streak in high hurdles

Asafa Powell

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – China’s former Olympic and  world 110 metres hurdles champion Liu Xiang ended American David  Oliver’s winning streak of 18 finals at the Shanghai Diamond  League meeting yesterday.

Asafa Powell

Liu’s time of 13.07 seconds was one of five year’s bests set  at the second Diamond League meeting of the season.

His new starting technique of seven rather than eight steps  to the first hurdle paid off as he recorded a comfortable  victory over the American record holder, who had been unbeaten  since Aug. 31, 2009.

“It felt great,” Liu told reporters. “This is my first  outdoor race of the season. I reacted the fastest from the  blocks and my seven steps start worked very well for me.

“I am very, very satisfied with the time. I wasn’t quite  expecting it but I do not think Oliver ran his best. I think he  looked a little bit nervous. He was not very relaxed.”

Other year’s bests came from Jamaican Kaliese Spencer in the  women’s 400 metres hurdles (54.20 seconds) and Kenyans Brimin  Kipruto in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase (8:02.28), Nixon  Chepseba in the men’s 1,500 (3:31.42) and Vivian Cheruyiot in  the women’s 5,000 (14:31.92).

Former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica won the  men’s 100 metres in 9.95 seconds and his compatriot, Olympic   200 champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, celebrated her 29th  birthday with victory in the women’s 100 in 10.92.

Norway’s Olympic and world champion Andreas Thorkildsen  pulled out of the men’s javelin after four rounds with a leg  injury and was forced to settle for second place behind Tero  Pitkaemaeki. The Finn won with a throw of 85.33 metres to  Thorkildsen’s 85.12.

“I felt something in my thigh, close to my knee,”  Thorkildsen said. “I don’t know what it is. It happened on the  runup.”