Liu Xiang's coach has moved to calm fears over the reigning Olympic 110m Hurdles champion's fitness following his withdrawal from Saturday's IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in New York (31 May).

The 24-year-old World record holder is China's leading candidate for gold in the track and field events of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing. The athletics competitions begin on 15 August 2008, with the heats, semis and final of the 110m Hurdles taking place over three days 17, 18 and 19 August.

The Reebok Grand Prix in New York’s Icahn Stadium was expected to provide vital preparation for the Games but Liu pulled out citing a tight hamstring.

“It's an overstatement to call it an injury,” Sun Haiping, Liu's long-term coach, told the Titan sports newspaper.

“His legs move and he would have easily raced within 13.20 seconds had he entered.”

“But we did not want to take even the slightest risk, particularly in the rain and with the Games barely more than two months away.”

Liu Xiang, the World indoor and outdoor champion, holds the World record at 12.88 secs (2006) and he has currently run the second fastest time of 2008 with his 13.18 sec run in the Olympic stadium in the Olympic test event in Beijing on 23 May.

Dave Martin (PA International) for the IAAF