BEIJING, March 8 -- The defending Olympic hurdle champion feels sorry for his Shanghai hometown pal Yao Ming, the NBA star whose season-ending foot injury might keep him out of the Beijing Games. But Liu said he is not yet feeling the added sense of responsibility now placed on his own shoulders. "There should not be any more pressure on me," he said.
The 1.3 billion Chinese, and the rest of the world for that matter, consider the smooth Liu the greatest hurdler and a cinch for perhaps the only gold they might pluck from the emblematic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing.
China will get its first real update in a month on the its greatest track athlete today when he lines up for the opening heats in the 60-meter hurdles of the World Indoor Championships in Valencia. But if Liu and gold seem synonymous by now, he wants everyone to think again.
"Actually it would be a great achievement if I could be in the top three here," the reigning outdoor Olympic and world champion said.
It could just be tactics to keep the pressure off, but no one really knows what form he is in since his last official race was in South Korea's Daegu in early October. Most people do remember his loss to Cuba's rising star Dayron Robles in Shanghai, hardly a comforting sight.
"This is my first competition indoors so I will be very relaxed," he told reporters. Yet he faces the prospect of going 0-for-2 against the Cuban.
And Robles has continued to shine all through the winter season, making him a joint favorite with Liu for victory late on Saturday.
While he rarely disappoints outdoors, where the race is 110 meters instead of 60, Liu might lack a bit of explosiveness to set an indoor hall alight.
He won bronze in 2003, silver in 2004 and did not compete in Moscow two years ago.
"The big job for me is to improve my first three hurdles," he said. That is where indoor titles are won and lost, and it is where Robles excels.
Yet little phases Liu, as he keeps his focus on that one August night in the Bird's Nest. "I am better outdoor than indoor. Here my goal is to do better," he said.
Liu's has a personal best of 7.42 seconds that he set in Karlsruhe, Germany last year. In comparison, Robles ran the second-fastest time in history last month - 7.33, just .03 seconds outside the world record of Britain's Colin Jackson.
Robles, the silver medalist in Moscow, is also trying to lower expectations, especially since he faces Liu.
"It would not be a disappointment if I don't win because I am running against the best," he said.
While the Chinese basketball team is not expected to win the gold, Houston Rockets' star Yao's foot injury has saddened millions of Chinese, including Liu.
"We are good friends and we are both from Shanghai and I feel very sorry for him that he got injured just before the games," he said.
"I hope it will not impact on his Olympics. I send my best wishes for a quick recovery."