Chinese hurdling star Liu Xiang made a disappointing exit from the London Diamond League meeting on Friday after a bad back ruled him out of the final
Liu had cruised into the 110m hurdles final at Crystal Palace after winning his heat in 13.27sec but failed to take take to the final start line after suffering a back strain.
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The final was won by in-form US star Aries Merritt, who defied the cool, overcast conditions to equal his own season’s fastest time of 12.93sec. Merritt, the recent winner of the US Olympic trials, led an American sweep of the top three positions, powering clear of Jason Richardson in 13.06sec and Ryan Wilson in 13.18.