Liu Xiang, left, sprints to win the men's 100m hurdles at the Athens Olympic Games, Aug 27, 2004 file photo. [Photo/Xinhua] |
We are still 24-hours away from the men's 110m hurdles final, but all eyes will be on Liu Xiang on Tuesday as he competes in heat six of the first round of a chance to reclaim his gold glory and put the nightmares of 2008 behind him.
The main final will not be held until Wednesday, but the 29-year-old sporting icon has faced intense speculation about his fitness and questions surrounding his behavior in the run-up to the London Games.
Liu's teammates Shi Dongpeng and Xie Wenjun will also strive for a final spot in heat one and heat five.
Liu may be China's most watched athlete at 5 pm, but fans should not fear as Day 11 offers many other opportunities to stay ahead in the medal league table.
Team China has dominated three sports at the London Olympics, claiming 100 percent of the medals in each event so far. The hold on diving and table tennis gold is certain to continue on Tuesday with China guaranteed gold or silver.
In diving, Qin Kai, who already won gold for the men's synchronized 3m springboard, will this time fly solo in the men's 3m springboard to improve on the bronze he won in the same event in Beijing 2008. He will be joined by He Chong looking to retain his Olympic and World Champion titles. The semifinals will be at 5 pm and the final 2 am.
The gold rush will surely continue at 10:30 pm when the women's table tennis team continues their grip on the medal cabinet as they face Japan in the final.
Gymnastics also offers a number of medal hopefuls as gold medalists Zhang Chenglong and Feng Zhe compete in the men's parallel bars at 9 pm.
No 1 seed Sui Lu and world champion Deng Linlin will vie for gold in the women's beam final at 9:47 pm.
Zou Kai, will be hoping for his third London gold as he is the current world champion in the men's horizontal bars at 10:37 pm. Gold medalist Zhang Chenglong will also be looking for a second medal.
Other medal hopefuls to watch on Tuesday: Bai Faquan in the men's triathlon final at 6:30 pm, Huang Xuechen and Liu Ou in synchronized women's duets at 10 pm.
In cycling, Guo Shuang will race Australia's Anna Mears at 11 pm in the women's sprint semifinal. Huang Li will compete in the women's omnium 500m time trial at 11:53 pm, and Zhang Miao in the men's keirin final at 12:57 am.
China's 110m hurdler Liu Xiang, right, arrives at Heathrow airport in London, Britain, on Aug 3, 2012. Liu Xiang will compete in men's 110m hurdles competition of athletics at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Aug 7. [Photo/Xinhua] |