'Flying man' Liu is back

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov 25, 2010 (AFP) - China's media declared Thursday "flying man" Liu Xiang had returned to greatness after winning his third Asian Games 110 metre hurdle title following years of injury.

Pictures of him crossing the line Wednesday evening in 13.09 seconds were plastered over all major dailies and websites, while television stations replayed the event over and over. "Former Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang remains the single most important attraction, not just on the Asian Games track, but for Chinese athletics," the official Xinhua news agency said.

The victory by China's first Olympic track gold medallist finally put to bed the shockwaves caused by his calamitous outing at the 2008 Beijing Games, when he limped out of his qualifying heat with an ankle injury.

That nagging problem, subsequent surgery and rehabilitation came under much scrutiny in China before the multi-millionaire put things right at the Aoti Main Stadium.

The China Daily, under a headline screaming 'Liu-King Good', said: "Comeback kid Liu slays his demon."