Of all the Olympic "jock stars" who'll be competing in the Summer Games, Liu Xiang is considered China's hottest. Here's a brief profile of Liu, the first in a series:
Name: Liu Xiang (刘翔)
Age: 24 (dob: Jul. 13, 1983)
Hometown: Shanghai
Previous Olympic Medals: Gold in Men’s 110m Hurdles at Athens ‘04
It would have been easy to dismiss Liu Xiang as a flash in the pan after he came out of nowhere and clocked a world record-tying time of 12.91 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. But then he broke the world record with a time of 12.88 seconds at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Super Grand Prix in 2006. And then he won the World Championship on August 31, 2007 in Osaka, Japan.
Now Nike Brand President Charlie Denson is comparing Liu to Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and LeBron James. And it’s not just because he’s athletically gifted. The 24-year-old phenom from Shanghai is arguably the most popular man in China. His face is ubiquitous, plastered on billboards, broadcast during commercial breaks, printed on magazine covers and the sides of milk cartons. The ladies, in particular, love Liu because of his sweet smile and the well-spread rumor that he embodies the traditional Chinese stereotype of a “Shanghai Man” -- docile and conciliatory towards women.
But look out ladies: the first Chinese man ever to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field doesn't have time for dating -- at least not if you ask his coach, who's obviously hoping Liu will best his world record and once again bring home the gold. "I feel Liu Xiang still has untapped potential, so our task is to bring that potential out at the Olympics. Because he's already taken on so many things, if he were to date as well, he definitely would not have enough time [to realize his potential]," says coach Sun Haipeng, who first convinced Liu, then 15, to try hurdling instead of competing in the high jump. It remains to be seen whether all work and no play will make Liu a dull boy -- or burnish the hurdler until he shines like gold.
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