On a happier note, the men's and women's 60m hurdles are likely to be the events that will have athletics purists licking their lips.

A fascinating duel between China's Liu Xiang and Cuba's Dayron Robles could set the scene for the summer.

Liu is the reigning Olympic and world champion at the outdoor discipline of 110me hurdles, as well as the world record holder, while the 21-year-old Robles is the up-and-coming contender.

"This is the one title that I haven't won yet. I'm closing in on it after being third in 2003 and second in 2004 so winning the world indoors it would give me a tremendous confidence boost for the Olympics," said Liu recently.

The 21-year-old Robles has emerged as the man who might spoil the Shanghai superstar's ambitions of being the home crowd's toast of the Beijing Olympics after running 7.33 secs last month, the second fastest time ever.

In the women's event, Sweden's Susanna Kallur has already set one world record this winter when she clocked 7.68 secs in the German city of Karlsruhe last month.

Like Liu, she is being spurred on by an inspired rival, which in this case is the American champion Lolo Jones, who has improved considerably this winter.

Mozambique's evergreen Maria Mutola won her first world indoor 800m title 15 years ago and in Valencia she will bid for an unprecedented eighth global indoor title.

"This will definitely be my last year of international competition, I'm going to retire after the Olympics so I want to end my indoor career on a high note," said Mutola.

Russia's pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva and Ethiopia's Meseret Defar, the 2007 World Athlete of the Year who will defend her world indoor 3,000m title, are among the other stars who will be in the limelight.

(Agencies via China Daily March 7, 2008)