On August 18, 2008, Liu Xiang withdrew from the Olympics due to injury; on March 12, 2010, he made his return to world-class competitions.
Today, Liu Xiang will start his first race back in the World Championships in Doha. At 22:50, he will stand at the starting line to compete in the preliminary heats of the 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor Athletics Championship.
Liu Xiang is the defending champion in the 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor World Championships, but he indeed lacks significant competitiveness now. Robert's is the strongest contender for the championship. Since his comeback, Robles has performed very steadily, winning five consecutive indoor titles, with times much faster than Liu Xiang's. Another veteran, Terrence Trammell, has also been in amazing form this season, performing just as well as Robles.