By Huram Hung, World-Track
SHANGHAI, China — The return of China’s superstar hurdler Liu Xiang is still uncertain as he is still not yet accessible for sprinting in a pair of spikes.
His coach Sun Haiping, however, believes the former Olympic champion and world record holder is “about 90 percent better.”
"Liu will go for another check at the end of this month and if his foot is not completely cured, we won’t let him train in spiked shoes and his return will be postponed," Sun told China Daily on Thursday.
"All of our efforts are to get Liu back to normal, so we won’t push him hard to take part in competition," he added.
Sun said Liu has had successful regular check-ups on his foot and is responding well to the treatments.
He, however, noted that there is still a minor problem on his right heel.
"Liu’s recovery is well under way after the surgery and we are getting closer to his return step by step," Sun said.
"The doctors are optimistic about his injury fully healing, but as a world-class athlete, he is different from other patients.
"According to the check on April 30, there is still a little hole in Liu’s right heel, which was left after the removal of the spur.
"As a hurdler, when he does some special movements like hurdling, his heel still could not endure the heavy pressure right now. We still have to wait," Sun added.
