Back on track
Athens Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang said he is happy to finally get out of the public activities he has attended since the Olympics and is relieved to return to the track oval.
The instant national hero confessed that he was rather exhausted from the multitude of social engagements he was asked to participate in the past weeks since returning to China, finding it more tiring than training. He added he has also put on some weight. His coach, Sun Haiping, has pointed out that Liu was not in his best shape and warned people not to assume high expectations of Liu for upcoming competitions.
Liu has already missed the Berlin Golden League series on September 12, as well as the IAAF Grand Prix final slated for September 18-19 in Monaco. He plans on attending an IAAF all-star tournament in Japan at the end of this month.
Ferrero missed out
Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero has dropped out of the Shanghai Heineken Open due to injury.
The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Davis Cup on September 24 during a match against Fabrice Santoro of France.
Ferrero, plagued by injuries throughout the season, failed to enter the quarter finals at the first China Open.
The Heineken Open opened on September 26 in Shanghai. It is the seventh time the city will host the tennis event since its founding in 1998.
Athens Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang said he is happy to finally get out of the public activities he has attended since the Olympics and is relieved to return to the track oval.
The instant national hero confessed that he was rather exhausted from the multitude of social engagements he was asked to participate in the past weeks since returning to China, finding it more tiring than training. He added he has also put on some weight. His coach, Sun Haiping, has pointed out that Liu was not in his best shape and warned people not to assume high expectations of Liu for upcoming competitions.
Liu has already missed the Berlin Golden League series on September 12, as well as the IAAF Grand Prix final slated for September 18-19 in Monaco. He plans on attending an IAAF all-star tournament in Japan at the end of this month.
Ferrero missed out
Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero has dropped out of the Shanghai Heineken Open due to injury.
The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Davis Cup on September 24 during a match against Fabrice Santoro of France.
Ferrero, plagued by injuries throughout the season, failed to enter the quarter finals at the first China Open.
The Heineken Open opened on September 26 in Shanghai. It is the seventh time the city will host the tennis event since its founding in 1998.