iu Xiang felt good enough to race Sunday, lining up for the 110-meter hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic.
The starting line was as far as he got.
China's track superstar was disqualified with a false start, making him 0-for-2 in America _ as in, he entered two races but didn't run in either.
''Not disappointed, just a pity,'' Liu said. ''But it is past already.''
Meanwhile, American pole vaulter Brad Walker did compete, and with great results. He cleared 19 feet, 93Ú4 inches, breaking an eight-year-old American record of 19-91Ú4 previously held by Jeff Hartwig.
Bernard Lagat, a naturalized American citizen since 2004, had a chance to set the American record in the two-miler, run instead of the 1,500 meters here in part to honor Prefontaine, the late Oregon star of the 1970s. But Lagat finished in 8:12.45, more than 5 seconds off the record pace.
Liu, the defending Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder, scratched from last week's race in New York with a sore right hamstring and said he would decide at race time Sunday whether he would compete. And indeed, he was out there on a crystal clear day in Eugene, pacing around, looking ready to go.
When the eight hurdlers first lined up, it was Liu's countryman, Shi Dongpeng, who got hit with a false start. But the first miscue is charged to the entire field, making the second false start the one that really counts.
It was there that Liu flinched ever so slightly before the gun. Knowing he was gone, he shook his head in frustration, having come all the way to the United States and never getting to compete.
Asked what happened, he said ''nothing happened.''
''I didn't even realize I had the false start,'' Liu said.
That left the door open for Anwar Moore of the United States, who won the suddenly watered-down race in 13.09 seconds.
''I don't know. I can't call it,'' Moore said when asked if Liu flinched. ''The judges called a false start, so I don't know.''
Liu will head back to China, where his condition certainly will be one of the hottest topics between now and the Beijing Olympics.
''It's getting better,'' Liu said of the hamstring. ''Much better than New York.''
06/08/2008 05:50 PM
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
EUGENE, Ore.
Liu Xiang, left, from China, clears the first hurdle next to Anwar Moore, center, and Shi Dongpeng, from China in the 110 meter hurdles during the Prefontaine Classic track and field meet in Eugene, Ore., Sunday, June 8, 2008. Liu Xiang was disqualified for a second false start on this start. Moore won the race with a time of 13.09.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
iu Xiang felt good enough to race Sunday, lining up for the 110-meter hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic.
