Olympic champion Liu Xiang won his 6th national title at the Chinese athletics championships in Shijiazhuang on Monday in his first race after breaking the men's 110 meters world record.

 

The Chinese national hero, who bettered Briton Collin Jackson's13-year-old world mark of 13.91 seconds in 13.88 on July 11 in the Lausanne Grand Prix, romped home with a time of 13.30 for the title.

 

Local hurdler Shi Dongpeng finished second in 13.39 and Beijing's Xiang Yan'an was third in 13.69.

 

The national athletics of little significance for the 23-year-old Shanghai native, who had already leveled Jackson's world record in winning the title at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

 

"I am here to extend my gratitude to the fans," he said. "The competition is meaningless for me because nobody can pose threat to me at home."

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2006)