Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian has dedicated his emotional men’s 100-meter final run in Tokyo to star hurdler Liu Xiang, the first Chinese athlete to win a gold medal on the track in the men’s 110 m hurdles in Athens 2004.

Finishing sixth in 9.98 seconds, Su is the first Chinese to qualify for the Olympic 100 m final after setting an Asian record of 9.83 seconds in a highly competitive semi-final. Before Su, the last time an Asian runner reached the final of the Olympic blockbuster event was at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Japan’s Takayoshi Yoshioka finished last.

“I have always been in contact with Liu Xiang, and he is constantly encouraging me and supporting me.” Su told China Media Group after learning that Liu was singing his praises on social media. “When I broke the 10-second barrier, Liu was there. So, for me, he is not only my idol but also probably my god of luck. I am very grateful to him because he is really a trailblazer for our Chinese track and field team,” he said.

Liu held the world record in 110 m hurdles with a time of 12.88 seconds in 2006 but was affected by an Achilles problem in the latter stages of his career and pulled out of the Beijing and London Olympics due to recurring injuries.

Su highlighted the fact that before Liu, no Chinese athlete had ever won a medal in an Olympic sprint event and for all Liu’s injury records, he is an inspiration to all. “If Liu Xiang had not come to prominence, many people might not have dared to dream that we could appear in the final of the Olympic Games and that we Asians were able to win a track and field gold,” said Su. “I finished sixth in the 100 m final, and hopefully, I could also bring encouragement to younger athletes and drive more young Chinese players to break the 10-second barrier.”

【小题1】Why did Su Bingtian mention Liu Xiang before the media in Tokyo?

A．To cheer himself up.	B．To express his gratitude.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To show he was ambitious.

【小题2】What information can we get about Su Bingtian from paragraph 2 ?

A．He set a new record with a time of 9.83 seconds in the semi-final.

B．He was the first Asian to run in the Olympic 100 m final.

C．He was the second Asian to reach the Olympic 100 m semi-final.

D．He finished sixth in the Olympic men’s 110 m hurdles in Tokyo.

【小题3】Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “trailblazer” in paragraph 3?

A．coach.

B．follower.

C．volunteer.

D．pioneer.

【小题4】What’s the main reason why Liu Xiang dropped out of the Beijing and London Olympics?

A．He failed to qualify for them.	B．His old injury recurred.
C．He was not fully prepared.	D．He lost interest in the events.