David Oliver prefers keeping winning to world record

Comparing with breaking the world record, American 110 meter hurdler David Oliver believes keeping winning races is more important.

Oliver is the world's hottest 110m hurdler last year, enjoying a very successful season after winning the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup as well as six Diamond League races to share the Diamond Prize.

The 29-year-old renewed his personal best to 12.89 seconds in Paris last July and also set several quite fast results. However, he still could not break the 12.87 seconds world record set by Dayron Robles of Cuba.

"Like I said before, regarding the world record, it's a world record for a reason. You just don't wake up in the morning and say I think I'm going to go break the world record. You go out there and try to have the best performance you can possibly have," said Oliver as he was asked when to set a new world record at a new conference here on Saturday.

"A guy like Alan Johnson never had the world record, but he's considered the greatest hurdler ever. A world record is just a one time performance. I would like to have a lot of great performances so I can be like what Alan Johnson is, and people like that. "

"Last year I had a great season. It was probably one of the best years for 110 hurdling, but as far as motivational factors, the Olympic Games, World Championships, things like that are down the road," said Oliver ahead of Sunday's Diamond League meet in Shanghai.

Oliver will face the challenge from local favorite Liu Xiang in Sunday's race. The former world record holder has been enjoying a slow but steady comeback since he withdrew from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and has recently adopted a "seven-step" technique in hope of a boost to his results.

"I always have fun when I'm competing, especially when you get to run against the greats, like Liu Xiang, and I just have a great time doing this. It's what keeps me motivated. I wake up every morning, and I don't have to go to a nine-to-five job, and I have a profession that I love to do. That's the motivational factor for me - I love competition and competing," Oliver added.

Oliver set a winning mark of 13.14 seconds in his season opener in Daegu last Sunday but he is well aware that he has to do much better in front of an ambitious Liu.

"I expect that he'll probably be ready to go about 13 flat. I always think when I see Liu at a race, that he's ready to run probably sub-13s, so I have to be extra ready to perform whenever he's in the field. So I guess I have to run much better than I did in Degu the other day so I can have an equal performance. "

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