Liu Xiang crashes out in 1st heat at Olympics

For the second consecutive Olympics, 2004 champion Liu Xiang has been eliminated without crossing a hurdle.

Liu crashed heavily into the first hurdle in his first heat of the 110-meter hurdles at the London Games on Tuesday morning and fell to the track. He got up and hopped on his left leg back toward the start, then turned around hopped all the way down the straight.

The 29-year-old Chinese hurdler had been the face of the games ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics but withdrew at the starting blocks in his first heat. He had surgery on his injured right foot after the 2008 games.

He returned to near top form at the world championships last year, where he finished second, but came to London under an injury cloud.

Liu had his right Achilles heavily taped before the race on Tuesday.