Shanghai – All eyes will be on Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang at Sunday's Diamond League meet in Shanghai as fans watch for signs the hometown hero is on track to recapture Olympic glory in London next year.
With Liu in the starting blocks, the 110m hurdles are expected to be the highlight at the second event in the 14-meeting Diamond League series, with sprint stars Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter also sharing the spotlight.
Liu, the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic track gold medal in 2004, has been talking about winning redemption in London ever since an Achilles injury caused him to limp out of his first heat at the 2008 Beijing Games.
He has said he is confident he can return to the podium in London.
But the 27-year-old former world champion came in seventh at last year's indoor championships in Doha. And while he won a third straight Asian Games title in November, he was far off his personal best of 12.88sec.
In Shanghai, Liu is expected to unveil a new start technique aimed at boosting his chances, Chinese media reported.
Liu, who has been dubbed “flying man” in China, said he has cut the number of steps before launching into the first hurdle from eight to seven.
“The change poses a big challenge for me and it may not be successful, but I don't fear failure,” news portal Sina.com quoted Liu as saying.
Liu's coach Sun Haiping told Chinese media this week there was still time to adjust the crucial launch before London: “We still have time. If the new method does not work out, we can still go back to the old eight-step method.”
American David Oliver, Liu's top-ranked competitor in Sunday's race, ran a lifetime best of 12.89 last year, just 0.01 off Liu’s former world mark.
Jamaica's Powell, formerly the world's fastest man, headlines the men's 100m and will be hoping for a more comfortable outing than his 200m showing at last week's Jamaica International Invitational, where he finished last.
Meanwhile the women's 100m promises to be a grandstand showdown between American Jeter and Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was the fastest woman in the world last year.
Jeter will be the woman to beat in the 50,000-seat Shanghai Stadium after clocking this year's fastest time – 10.86 – on Saturday in Kingston.
The Diamond League awards points depending on performances throughout the 14-event programme with the overall winners in each of the 16 individual events taking home a diamond trophy and a cash prize. – Sapa-AFP