At the Shanghai Diamond League over the weekend, Liu was debuting a change to his starting technique, taking one less step before reaching the first hurdle. And as Jonas Gilbart reports from Shanghai, that little change is already paying dividends.

 

Jonas Gilbart said, "Step by step, Chinese Hurdling hero Liu Xiang continues to work his way back to the top of his sport."

Liu, using a new start technique, burst out of the blocks in Shanghai, powering his way to the finish line in a time of 13.07 seconds.

Liu Xiang said, "I always felt confident about my chances. After this race I feel even more confident. The thing is no matter how good you are in training you still have to perform in the race to prove yourself. That's how you get more experience and confidence."

The change Liu has made, is to go from 8 steps before reaching the first hurdle to seven, a move designed to lower his starting times.

Liu said, "I felt alright today, this is my first outdoor race since I changed my starting technique. And the result was good, I am quite satisfied."

Ironically, it was a poor start from American David Oliver that cost him the race. He fell behind early and was unable to recover, coming in second. Oliver, made the same change to his start last year that Liu did this year, and says Liu's success proves it was the right move.