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The full house of over 40,000 spectators marked the success of the just-concluded IAAF Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in a sense, but few of the fans in the stadium knew who were competing except their super idol Liu Xiang.

Liu Xiang, 23, has become a super star in China since he stunned the world at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with a 110m hurdles gold medal and a tie of the then world record of 12.91 seconds.

The popularity of Liu was heated up and reached the climax in July when he broke the world record with a time of 12.88 seconds in Switzerland.

It was no doubt that most of the fans coming to the stadium here paid more than 10 US dollars for just that 13 seconds' 110m hurdles run.

To the joy of the home crowd, Liu took sweet revenge on his arch rival American Allen Johnson, 35, with a come-from-behind victory in 13.07 seconds. Johnson, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist who beat Liu last week at the World Cup in Athens, finished second in 13.09 seconds.

Liu said after the run,"The atmosphere here is even better than that of the Athens Olympic Games."

During the Grand Prix, all the Chinese fans chanted Liu's name and cheered for his home victory. Some of the fans told reporters that they knew Liu's arch rival is Allen Johnson. Few of the fans could tell the names of other hurdlers and the athletes competing in other events.

In a sense, the Grand Prix became a game of Liu Xiang himself.

In a bid to attract more spectators, the organizers invited several well-known Chinese singers to the scene. They also made a song of athletics. Liu Xiang sang the song after the game, fully satisfying the spectators.

The combination of the sports and the amusement was another success for the organizers. However, what the sport really needs are promising results and professional fans.

It will be a real success if all the athletes fully focus on competitions instead of shopping and amusement, and most of the fans can cheer for all the athletes when they perform well.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)