體壇英語資訊：Liu starts from scratch to prepare for 2008

World and Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang said he is preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as if he was a freshman.

"I would like to take everything like right from the start. I see myself as a freshman and the preparation time is like when I was chasing rivals before the 2004 Athens Games," said Liu, who is now enjoying a short break in Shanghai before winter training starts next month.

China's Liu Xiang celebrates with a Chinese flag after winning the gold medal in the Men's 110m Hurdles during the World Athletics Championships in this Aug. 31, 2007 file photo in Osaka, Japan. The hurdler's coach said Monday Liu was on a drip just days before the Championships run. [Agencies] "Recently I played tennis, and snooker sometimes. And I hope I can win the last spot in the year-ending tennis Masters (which takes place in Shanghai next month)," joked the Shanghai-born hurdler.

Liu, the world record holder for 110m hurdles, is China's main hope for an athletics title at next year's Beijing Games. His healthy mental condition also pleases head coach Sun Haiping.

"I am so glad to see Liu is in very good form, both physically and mentally," said Sun. "Ladji Doucour of France was the 2005 world champion. He was in his prime but has fallen down ever since. I think the main problem is that he is not focused in his mind."

Liu has been recognized as one of the world's fastest 110m hurdlers, especially after breaking the world record at 12.88 seconds last year. But Sun asked Liu to look at every strong rival as a target to reach rather than as someone chasing him.

"We will start from zero, like we have never won anything," Sun said. "We will take every rival seriously and try to beat them."

Sun explained that in 2004 Athens Games, four-time world champion Allen Johnson was a target to reach as Liu was still a newcomer.

"As a newcomer, it's great if you can beat the best hurdler and it's also OK if you fail. This kind of mental conditioning awarded Liu the surprising gold medal," he said.

"We are now finding the same mental form. We have very strong opponents in Beijing. And in Athens, we had very good luck as Allen fell and Doucour broke his tempo. I do not think the good luck will come again in Beijing. What we can do is to keep the best form in all aspects."

Sun said the only thing he fears going into next August's Olympic Games is injury or ill health.

"We will intensify the training step by step in a bid to keep healthy. All the efforts will be in vain if Liu gets injured."

The head coach is confident the in-form hurdler will be able to stay fit and competitive until the 2024 London Olympic Games.

"Liu Xiang is now in very good form. We have no schedule for his retirement. It's very likely he will compete in the 2024 Games."

Sun said Liu, now 24, is stronger than in previous years. But he said it was difficult to predict if Liu would break the record again.

"Sports is unpredictable - weather, wind velocity and an athlete's condition all contribute to the results, it's about strength and luck," he said.

He said the first goal is to get Liu's race time down to 13 seconds by the end of winter training. Liu will start his new season in March at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain.

World and Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang said he is preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as if he was a freshman.

"I would like to take everything like right from the start. I see myself as a freshman and the preparation time is like when I was chasing rivals before the 2004 Athens Games," said Liu, who is now enjoying a short break in Shanghai before winter training starts next month.

China's Liu Xiang celebrates with a Chinese flag after winning the gold medal in the Men's 110m Hurdles during the World Athletics Championships in this Aug. 31, 2007 file photo in Osaka, Japan. The hurdler's coach said Monday Liu was on a drip just days before the Championships run. [Agencies] "Recently I played tennis, and snooker sometimes. And I hope I can win the last spot in the year-ending tennis Masters (which takes place in Shanghai next month)," joked the Shanghai-born hurdler.

Liu, the world record holder for 110m hurdles, is China's main hope for an athletics title at next year's Beijing Games. His healthy mental condition also pleases head coach Sun Haiping.

"I am so glad to see Liu is in very good form, both physically and mentally," said Sun. "Ladji Doucour of France was the 2005 world champion. He was in his prime but has fallen down ever since. I think the main problem is that he is not focused in his mind."

Liu has been recognized as one of the world's fastest 110m hurdlers, especially after breaking the world record at 12.88 seconds last year. But Sun asked Liu to look at every strong rival as a target to reach rather than as someone chasing him.

"We will start from zero, like we have never won anything," Sun said. "We will take every rival seriously and try to beat them."

Sun explained that in 2004 Athens Games, four-time world champion Allen Johnson was a target to reach as Liu was still a newcomer.

"As a newcomer, it's great if you can beat the best hurdler and it's also OK if you fail. This kind of mental conditioning awarded Liu the surprising gold medal," he said.

"We are now finding the same mental form. We have very strong opponents in Beijing. And in Athens, we had very good luck as Allen fell and Doucour broke his tempo. I do not think the good luck will come again in Beijing. What we can do is to keep the best form in all aspects."

Sun said the only thing he fears going into next August's Olympic Games is injury or ill health.

"We will intensify the training step by step in a bid to keep healthy. All the efforts will be in vain if Liu gets injured."

The head coach is confident the in-form hurdler will be able to stay fit and competitive until the 2024 London Olympic Games.

"Liu Xiang is now in very good form. We have no schedule for his retirement. It's very likely he will compete in the 2024 Games."

Sun said Liu, now 24, is stronger than in previous years. But he said it was difficult to predict if Liu would break the record again.

"Sports is unpredictable - weather, wind velocity and an athlete's condition all contribute to the results, it's about strength and luck," he said.

He said the first goal is to get Liu's race time down to 13 seconds by the end of winter training. Liu will start his new season in March at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain.