Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang back on track after 13 months' lay-off

    Liu's much-anticipated return after 13 months out injured was cheered by a boisterous crowd of 25,000 at the Shanghai Stadium. He fought back from behind to cross the finish line shoulder by shoulder with arch rival Terrence Trammell of American, silver medalist in the Berlin world championships.

China's 110m-hurdle star Liu Xiang competes during the 110m-hurdle match at the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai,China, on Sept. 20, 2009. (Xinhua/Fan Jun)

The photo finish showed that Trammell, silver medalist at two Olympic Games and three world championships, was the winner in a similar time of 13.15 seconds.

    "I want to thank my rivals, thank my coach and thank everybody for your support," said Liu soon after the race.

    "I had not expected to run so fast," said Liu, who clocked 13.70 seconds in a training session last week. "It's just beyond my imagination."