CPC 101: They Are Also CPC Members – Liu Xiang, Asia’s “Flying Man”

“I’m running for Asia, I’m running for China”- Liu Xiang, a hurdler from Yao Ming’s home city of Shanghai, equaled the world record for men’s 110m hurdles and became China’s first Olympic gold medalist in track and field. At the time, Liu was a probationary CPC member.

In 2005, Liu Xiang was elected as one of the “Top 10 Outstanding Chinese Youths”. He passed the 1-year probationary test and became a full member of the Party. On July 12, 2006, Liu Xiang broke the 13-year-old world record of men’s 110m hurdles by clocking 12.88 seconds in the finals of the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Lausanne. On August 31, 2007, Liu Xiang created the “ninth-lane miracle” and won the championship at the Osaka World Championships by virtue of his strength and psychological quality.

Liu became a grand slam winner as an Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder in men’s 110m hurdles. In the following years, despite experiencing serious injuries, Liu managed to win 7 championships until he retired in 2015.