Liu was expected to be good in Athens, but no one expected him to be good enough to equal the then 13-year-old world record of 12.91 sec and win a gold medal. "Compared with other elite hurdles in the world, Liu likes a harder outsole because he hits the ground very hard, and a hard outsole gives him good rebound feeling," Lu said.

Liu's shoes [China Daily]

This idea was improved upon while designing new apparel, and it soon proved to be a success. At the 2006 Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, Liu - wearing Zoom Superfly G5 LXs with a new micro-carbon plate for firmer frontal support - broke the world record at 12.88 sec.

Since then, Liu has stuck with the hard outsole. He wouldn't change it even when Nike tried to persuade him to try a new outsole employing more advanced technology.

"It's understandable because the athlete wanted to keep with the things he felt comfortable and familiar with," Liu said.

For Liu's Beijing shoe, Nike will combine the two designs that led to Liu's two defining moments. They will be a pair of spikes, colored bright yellow with a scarlet outsole. They are called the Zoom Aerofly LX.

The design is nearly the same as both of his previous pairs of shoes, with the addition of the new Flywire technology, which helps reduce weight.

Each shoe weighs only 214 grams, a little heavier than three eggs.

Liu also asked Nike to take off one spike from the original six to reduce weight.

"That's another favorite design of his. Normally other hurdles ask for six spikes," Lu said.

To protect his right foot - the one attacking the hurdlers and landing first - Liu requested more thickness and padding at the heel. His wish, obviously, was granted.

In Lu's eyes, Liu's most interesting demand is to keep the strap, even though it is not usually used on spikes these days.

"We tried to remove that, but Liu did not agree," Lu said. "He likes to have that. For him, finishing adjusting the shoes by sticking the strap is a part of his preparation. Every time after he does that, he feels he is ready to go."

Liu has used the shoes in recent training sessions in Beijing. So far the feedback is all positive, though further adjustments are still being made in Nike's South Korea factory.

"It's light, it fits me well and is very comfortable," Liu said.

Nike also developed a two-piece track suit for Liu, who refused the more popular one-piece suit.

The upper part of the suit features a bold design and exposes most of Liu's shoulders to reduce drag during the competitions.

(China Daily August 6, 2008)