Enter the dragon

Zhang Wenxiu defended her womens hammer throw title with a toss of 72.84 metres and Yang Yansheng prevailed in the mens pole vault by clearing 5.5 metres.

After winning three of the six golds on offer Monday night,China climbed to the top of the athletics medals table with five.

Japans Chisato Fukushima won the womens 100,while 19-year-old Qatari Femi Seun Ogunode and Kazakhstans Olga Tereshkova won the 400 races.

But the focal point of the night was Liu,the 27-year-old hurdler who became a Chinese track superstar after clinching gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The hurdler is trying to rehabilitate his form and reputation after disappointing a nation by pulling out of the heats at the 2008 Beijing Games with a right foot injury.

Crowd favourite

Fans who flocked to the Aoti Main Stadium cheered loudly when Liu was introduced. The announcer showered him with superlatives like Chinas hero and the king.

After easily winning his heat and qualifying first by clocking 13.48 seconds,Liu stuck out his tongue and wagged his finger at the camera. I feel good today, he said. I was relaxed at the finishing line. My position isnt that important. Its OK as long as I make the final. Im here to enjoy the atmosphere.

His right achilles tendon still bothers him despite surgery and has continued to hold back his performance. Earlier this year,he only managed a seventh place finish at the world indoor championships in March in the 60 hurdles and bronze at the Diamond League meet in Shanghai in May. His foot injury forced him to drop out of the Osaka Grand Prix in May.

Liu said Monday he aims to improve his time to 13.20 in Wednesdays final. Ill try my best, he said.

Lius main rival for gold,China team mate Shi Dongpeng,placed second in the second heat,qualifying fourth overall with a time of 13.89 seconds behind Saudi Arabias Ahmed Khader A. Almuwallad 13.69 and South Koreas Park Tae-kyong 13.68.

Lao finished the 100 metres in 10.24 seconds,edging Saudi Arabias Yasir Baalghayth A. Alnashri by 0.02 seconds. Omans Barakat Al Harthi was third after clocking 10.28. The home crowd congratulated him with a unified chant of hou ye or way to go in Cantonese.

The Chinese sprinter was relieved about finally overcoming injuries. I had been suffering injuries for a long time. This year,I trained very hard and ran 10.21 sec in the National Games and it gave me great confidence, he said.

Fukushima,who crossed in 11.33 sec,also won by a razor-thin margin,beating Guzel Khubbieva from Uzbekistan by 0.01 seconds. Vietnams Vu Thi Huong came third.