Li Jinzhe (left) competes in the long jump final during the IAAF World Championships at the Bird's Nest, while sprinter Su Bingtian legs it out in the 100m final. They are at the forefront of China's new wave of athletics stars trying to fill the void left by retired hurdler Liu Xiang. Wei Xiaohao and Xu Jingxing / China Daily

Boasting breakthrough performances on the world stage, a group of promising Chinese athletes have emerged to take the baton from retired Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang as the nation's new leaders on the athletics stage.

When Su Bingtian flashed across the 100 meters finish line on the heels of Jamaican star Usain Bolt in the semifinals, and ultimately reached the final of the marquee event at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing on Sunday, the overwhelming cheers at the Bird's Nest drew high praise from Liu, who is working as a guest commentator at the event.

"He reserved his best show for the Bird's Nest and he did it," said the 32-year-old, who announced his retirement in April after failing to overcome a persistent heel injury.

In tying the national record by clocking 9.99 seconds, Su became the first Asian sprinter to reach the 100m final of the worlds.

The boisterous scenes on Sunday night sharply contrasted with the shocking events seven years ago when Liu glumly withdrew from the 110m hurdles' final of the 2008 Beijing Olympics with an Achilles tendon injury, which hushed the 80,000 home crowd.

Su's reaching the final of the 100m has partly made up for that memory.

"I think he did a great job (of qualifying for the 100m final). His performance has left an indelible mark on the history of Chinese sports in general," Liu said.

Su is at the forefront of a new era of athletes trying to emulate, or even surpass, the great hurdler.

"Su's already one of the leaders of the Chinese team," said Feng Shuyong, head coach of the Chinese squad.

"His breakthrough has had a significant impact on Chinese athletics, not only in the sprints but also other events.

"He's proven that Chinese athletes can be competitive in events that we never thought we could accomplish."

Three days short of his 26th birthday, Su is humble when comparisons are drawn with Liu.

"I don't want to be hailed as the second Liu or whatever. He is irreplaceable," Su said. "For me, I just focus on doing my best in training and racing, otherwise nothing will last long."

The rise of this new generation of Chinese track and field athletes has attracted global attention.

US sprint star Justin Gatlin marvels at Su's progress.

"He's set an example for Chinese sprinters to be able to take on the world ... and be able hopefully to dominate and show pride for their country," said Gatlin, who won the 2004 Athens Olympics 100m.

Su is not alone in shouldering the nation's ambitions at the world championships.

For the first time, three Chinese athletes, headed by national record holder Li Jinzhe, qualified for the men's long jump final.

Li, who jumped a personal best of 8.47m at an international meet in Germany in June last year to smash the previous national mark, is regarded as somewhat of a maverick thanks to his outgoing personality, earrings and red-dyed hair.

The 25-year-old is now training with renowned US coach Randall Huntington, the former mentor of world record holder Mike Powell.

"I think our generation is a lot different from our predecessors. We are more independent in our thinking and more active in showing off our character," said Li, who failed to shine in Tuesday's final, finishing in fifth place.

Li's teammate Wang Jianan gave local fans a reason to cheer by winning the bronze medal.

Wang also becomes the first male athlete from Asia to stand on the long jump podium at a world championships.

Talented high jumper Zhang Guowei, who cleared a personal-best 2.38m to finish second at the Oregon Diamond League meet in May, is also poised to make his country proud.

The final of the men's high jump will take place on Aug 30.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)