The Asian record holder just won the World Track & Field Grand Prix in Japan, upsetting world No.1 Allen Johnson from the US, and bettering his best mark by six hundredth of a second.

He finished the men's 110-meter race in 13.06 seconds.

"I first thought it would be close to my Asia record, and didn't expect it to be even better. I started very fast, lagging behind Johnson for the first three hurdles. But I closed in on him at No.4, 5 and 6, before overtaking him. It felt so great when I broke the finish line before all others!"

Liu Xiang's coach Sun Haiping thinks the win has spoken for the sprinter's great potential.

"All the world's best were there, including the top three finishers of the World Championships. So the win was quite convincing and deserve greater confidence in him for achieving something even at the Athens Olympics."

Before the victory in Tokyo, Liu Xiang has finished in the world top three several times. (Photo Source: Sina)

(CRI May 10, 2004)