The East Asian Games may be a far cry from the world championships or the Olympics, but superstar hurdler Liu Xiang (pictured) is not under-estimating the importance of this regional multi-sports event.
'It really doesn't make that much difference to me,' he says. 'The fact that I am representing my country is incentive enough for me to do my best. After all, there are not many multi-sports events where my performance can impact on the overall standing of the country.
'This is my approach to the East Asian Games. I am confident I will win a gold medal for China. The time I record is not of paramount importance, but winning is.
'It is not like the Golden League meetings in Europe where you are really competing as an individual. In Macau, it will be for the glory of China and I will not let my country down.'
There is little doubt the Olympic champion will win. He shares the world record for the 110 metres hurdles (12.91 seconds, set at the Athens Olympic Games last year) with Britain's Colin Jackson, he finished second at the world championships in Helsinki earlier this year and he is the reigning Asian champion.
All this points to a stroll in the park for Liu, who ranks third on the Forbes list of Chinese celebrities behind Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang Ziyi.
But the 22-year-old is taking nothing for granted, even though he blew away his rivals at the Asian Athletics Championships in Incheon, South Korea, in early September. His time - 13.32 seconds - smashed the existing meet record by more than one second.
