体坛英语资讯：Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang back on track after 13 months lay-off_娱乐

体坛英语资讯：Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang back on track after 13 months lay-off

"The atmosphere was superb. I will train harder after this competition," said a beaming Liu, who was a national hero before the Beijing Olympic Games but was criticized by netizens for his shock withdrawal at the Bird's Nest.

Liu just returned to training in July after a surgery on his right Achilles tendon in the United States last December. His performance in Shanghai gave the fans hope that he has been back on winning track.

He said that his foot injury will not cause trouble.

"I don't think there will be problems for my foot," he said. "I will try to avoid injuries in future races, big or small. Now the past is past. Today I think the fans felt happy for me and also a little disappointment (for not winning the race). I am sure that I will do better in the days to come."

Organizers had asked the fans do not expect too much from Liu, who previously held the world record of 12.88 seconds but the time was certainly a surprise happiness for them and his coach Sun Haiping.

Sun said before the race that events such as the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix will just help Liu improve as he prepares for the Asian Athletics Championships in November and the East Asian Games in December.

"The time was really good," Sun said. "It's of course beyond my expectations. I told him before the race that 13.50 is good enough because it might be a little risky for his foot to run faster. I think there were three reasons. Firstly, the fans were really fantastic and secondly, the wind was assisting him. Thirdly, Trammell was really a good rival. "