Liu Xiang pulls out of Men's 110m Hurdles

China's Liu Xiang kneels down while warming up.
China's Liu Xiang reacts after getting injured.

(BEIJING, August 18) -- In probably the biggest upset of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for host country China so far, world champion Liu Xiang stumbled at the start of his qualifying heat in round one of the Men's 100m Hurdles on Monday morning. He later withdrew from the event entirely.

Liu reported on his own web site on Sunday that he was suffering from a sore Achilles tendon, which has affected his performance this season.

After Mohammed Issa Al-Thawadi of Qatar in lane two made a false start, Liu slipped off the blocks himself. When the athletes gathered at the start to get ready a second time, Liu was notoriously absent.