China stews over Liu

EUGENE, Ore. – When Liu Xiang aches, 1 billion people ache with him.

One of China’s biggest sports stars, the world-record holder and defending Olympic gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles, is nursing a sore hamstring that has his country in a tizzy with the Beijing Games only two months away.

Liu said his hamstring was improving Saturday and he would decide at race time today whether he’d line up for the Prefontaine Classic.

“I’m feeling much better than I was in New York” last week, when he scratched from the Reebok Grand Prix, Liu said. “If I feel well, I will run. If I don’t feel well, I will pull out. For sure, I will not take the risk.”

The Prefontaine Classic is widely considered the biggest track meet on the American calendar most years, but even that doesn’t make it worth taking any kind of chance for China’s biggest track star.

Quite simply, like any Olympic athlete this year, he has bigger things to worry about.

He’s the world-record holder, rivaled in popularity in China only by Yao Ming, and is his country’s biggest hope for glory in the glamour sport of track, which will be contested at the crown jewel of Beijing’s games, the 91,000-seat Bird’s Nest stadium.

So, when Liu pulls out of a meet with an injury and is questionable for the next one – well, the news resonates loudly.

“Very quickly after he pulled out from New York, all news was about him in China – internet and the newspapers and everything,” said Feng Shuyong, head coach of the Chinese national track team. “Many people are guessing what’s the problem – will that be a problem for him in preparation for the Olympics?”

In the news conference, Liu was surrounded two- and three-deep by reporters, more than half of them Chinese, while other top track stars, including Washington State product Bernard Lagat, were nearly alone.

There are, indeed, plenty of other story lines to follow at the Prefontaine, named after Steve Prefontaine, the long-distance running phenom from Oregon who died in a car crash in 1975.

Ethiopia’s Mesaret Defar will try to regain her world record in the 5,000 two days after her rival and countrywoman, Turunish Dibaba, broke it at the Bislett Games. Dibaba’s mark is 14 minutes, 11.15 seconds.

Another world-record candidate is Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who already holds the marks in the 5,000 and 10,000 and will try to improve on his time of 26:17.53 in the 10,000.