Liu's injury kept him from defending his 110-meter hurdles title at last summer's Beijing Games, where he shocked the stadium crowd by withdrawing at the start line in the heats. He was China's best hope to win a gold medal in athletics at Beijing. “There's really no need to rush. It is immature for him to run in competitions at this moment. We can count Liu in when he is fully ready. If he injures his leg again, it will certainly end his career once and for all,” Sun told a news conference in Shanghai. Liu set a world record of 12.88 seconds for the event in 2005 but Cuba's Dayron Robles lowered the mark to 12.87 last year, and also won gold at the Beijing Olympics.

Despite his injury problems, Liu remains one of the most popular and best paid athletes in China, with numerous lucrative endorsement deals.