Liu says hurdles record could stand test of time

BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang said he was unsure if his 110m hurdles world record would be bettered during his competitive lifetime, state media reported.

''In the next 10 years, I think the best time will be around 12.90 seconds. But who knows? Maybe it can stand until I become a grandfather,'' Xinhua news agency quoted the 23 year-old Liu as saying yesterday.

Liu clocked 12.88 seconds at the Lausanne Grand Prix in July, breaking the world record of 12.91 he shared with Colin Jackson. He had equalled the Briton's 1993 record on his way to gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The record, however, was never under threat at Monday's National Track and Field Championships in the northern Chinese city of Shijiazhuang, where Liu cruised to his sixth national title in 13.30.

''I am here to show my thanks to the Chinese fans. To clock a good time or even break the world record, you need to have the right atmosphere, a good ground and a strong group of contenders.'' Liu's coach, Sun Haiping, said no Chinese runners could challenge his protege, the China Daily newspaper said today.

''I would rather look at the competition as a training session. There are too few excellent hurdlers in China at the moment in China,'' the paper quoted him as saying.

Liu said he was looking forward to September's World Athletics Final in Stuttgart and the IAAF World Cup meeting in Athens.

''Those competitions are different from this one. You are pushed to the limit if you want to win,'' he said.

REUTERS PM PC0910