Hurdler Liu snubs Games village

Multi-millionaire hurdler Liu Xiang has decided to initially snub living conditions at the athletes village when he arrives to the Guangzhou Asiad, state press reported. The former Olympic champion in the 110 metre hurdles will stay near Guangzhou’s...

Multi-millionaire hurdler Liu Xiang has decided to initially snub living conditions at the athletes village when he arrives to the Guangzhou Asiad, state press reported.

The former Olympic champion in the 110 metre hurdles will stay near Guangzhou’s posh central business district on the Pearl River’s Erping Island as he undergoes fine tuning before his races.

The 27-year-old is seeking his third Asiad title. He is scheduled to race in a 110m hurdles preliminary heat next Monday, ahead of the finals two days later.

The 27-year-old remains a focal point of the Asiad despite the lingering injury that has kept him from the explosive form that won him an Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 and once carried him to a world record.

The hurdler recently said that 16 commercial endorsements mostly signed ahead of the 2008 Olympics has left him with 200 million yuan ($30 million) in the bank.

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