Pre 110H

[bruce3404]

FWIW, here's Liu's comments after the race, as reported by the AP:

China's biggest track star, Liu Xiang of China, lined up for the 110 hurdles, but flinched early and was disqualified for a false start, turning his trip to America into a nonevent. He scratched from last weekend's meet in New York with a sore hamstring and was apparently well enough to run Sunday, but didn't get his chance.

Asked what happened on the start, he said "nothing happened."

"I didn't even realize I had the false start," Liu said.

[Dutra]

FWIW, here's Liu's comments after the race, as reported by the AP:

China's biggest track star, Liu Xiang of China, lined up for the 110 hurdles, but flinched early and was disqualified for a false start, turning his trip to America into a nonevent. He scratched from last weekend's meet in New York with a sore hamstring and was apparently well enough to run Sunday, but didn't get his chance.

Asked what happened on the start, he said "nothing happened."

"I didn't even realize I had the false start," Liu said.

Then how come he walked right off the track instead of back to his blocks?

[cacique]

oh yes, liu and shi rehearsed the whole thing beforehand...

what's really clear is your anti-chinese bias, you dumbasses.

[Daisy]

what's really clear is your anti-chinese bias, you dumbasses.

You're kidding?

[Charley Shaffer]

The planned fs theory occurred to us in the stands after it happened, and some of us are miffed at the Aries Merritt dns.

For sure, a big, big part of the Pick-N-Win game is using all the information you can muster in an attempt to avoid picking athletes who don't show up.

A very unfortunate part of high-level T&F. I don't know much about the ball sports, but I don't think this happens much in the NFL, MLB, or even the PGA.

[marknhj]

oh yes, liu and shi rehearsed the whole thing beforehand...

what's really clear is your anti-chinese bias, you dumbasses.

The only anti-Chinese bias I'm aware of here is Marlow's dislike of Chinese food.

btw: my sister-in-law is Chinese, so is Daisy's wife...

[lonewolf]

Can't one be cynical without racial bias?

[tandfman]

Is the incentive for athlete to do well high enough at this meet?

I suspect that for some athletes, it's not a matter of incentives--showing up and competing is something they're required to do by their contract with Nike.

[Daisy]

Is the incentive for athlete to do well high enough at this meet?

I suspect that for some athletes, it's not a matter of incentives--showing up and competing is something they're required to do by their contract with Nike.

That is what i was refering too, but didn't do a very good job at making myself clear. Basicaly there is no pay, so their incentive is less. But do NIKE penalise them for not showing up or "trying"?

On a semi related note, on the Scottish professional circuit the athletes get penalised based on an honest effort rule. If the judge perceives the athletes are not putting in full effort their handicap is adjusted to reflect that lack of effort. That would mean they are then closer to scratch. So part of the game is to make it "look" like they put in full effort on each race.

[Brian]

Is the incentive for athlete to do well high enough at this meet?

I suspect that for some athletes, it's not a matter of incentives--showing up and competing is something they're required to do by their contract with Nike.

Bingo!

Hurt. Got to get out of the country in one piece. But how to do so with a major race owned (for all intents and purposes) by your sponsor in a venue of 14,000 people with major network coverage (read: $) because of the presence of athletes such as yourself.

False start.

Why after the countryman instead of simply doing so twice yourself? Because one false start is a mistake, but it happens. Two false starts can represent to some a weakness, real or imagined, to be later exploited at Beijing. Why do anything to lessen the image of superiority and give greater hope of possibly beating you to your opponents?

The way the announcers were setting it up, I wouldn't be surprised everyone involved--the network, Nike, etc.--were in on the plan.

And I would bet the plan wasn't Liu's at all, but hatched by the powers that be around him. Maybe all that "nervousness" the announcers talked about was because he is a basically good and honest man not liking the charade he about to be a party to this day.

[gh]

As it happened, I was't anywhere near the 110H start yesterday, so can't comment directly on that, but I will say that if I were a starter, I'm not sure I've seen a Liu race in person yet (and that' a dozen or so) where I wouldn't pull the gun on him. He comes up late, rocks.... Somewhere along the line, the definition of being steady at the gun came not to apply to him it appears.

[Kevin Richardson]

I have no fear of or prejudices against Chinese. In fact, my thoughts were not in any way perjorative. Spend a little more time on the boards to get to know us before making statements like "dumbasses". Trust me, many of us have merited that on one occasion or another, but not this time.

I'll give you a mulligan on it, this time.

And for the recore, I am a HUGE fan of General Tso, whoever the heck he was.

[lonewolf]

Brian, you have eloquently stated my surmise.

[cacique]

Can't one be cynical without racial bias?

really? in the women's race, there was a FS and a DQ. all american women. were they in concert too? nobody raised any conspiracy theories there. but 2 chinese athletes, they must be all in cahoots...

i rest my case.

[Daisy]

in the women's race, there was a FS and a DQ. all american women. were they in concert too?

Did they have known injury problems coming into the event? FS happen.

The discussion was relating to whether this was an easy way out for Liu to protect his injury. If anything this discussion relates to the issue of are the Nike athletes forced to run against their best intertests or not? How is that anti-Chinese?