Confident Xie looking to reach 110m hurdles final at Doha athletics worlds

DOHA - Boosted by his successful season of 2019, the Chinese hurdler Xie Wenjun hopes to finally make the breakthrough in Doha to enter the 110m hurdles final at his fourth appearance in the IAAF World Championships.

"I do not feel any pressure right now. It will be my fourth World Championships and I hope I can make some breakthrough this year," Xie said after training at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.

"I like this stadium. I like the track here as well as the atmosphere. I feel very excited."

First making his way into the World Championships in 2013, Xie has been placed with great expectations to follow the foot steps of his fellow Shanghai-native Liu Xiang, the country's star hurdler who became a national idol after winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and taking the world title in 2007.

However, Xie competed in the previous three editions of the biennial event but never managed to make it to the final as he was ousted in the preliminary round in Moscow and knocked out in the semifinals in Beijing and London respectively.

The 29-year-old has been enjoying a second wind of his career since starting to train under the guidance of his current coach Rana Reider last winter. He twice improved his personal best to 13.17 seconds this year and qualified for the IAAF Diamond League Finals for the first time.

Although he only finished fifth at the Diamond League Finals in Brussels early this month and twisted his ankle during the race, Xie believes he has fully recovered from the injury and is ready to make history in Doha.

"I think currently I have returned to 90 percent of my best form. And if everything goes well, it can reach to 100 percent by the time of the race," Xie added.