Gymnastics multiple world champion Li Xiaopeng, leading character for Hunan, pulled out of the men's team final due to injury at the 10th National Games in Nanjing on Monday.

Hunan delegation has confirmed with the competition committee that Li would not show up in evening's team final, citing an ankle bruise sustained in Saturday's qualification.

The injury-pronged Olympic hero aggravated his ankle injury in the qualification when he went down onto his knees in landing, after a tumbling series to conclude his floor routine.

Coach Chen Xiong said that the bruise was not serious.

"Xiaopeng gives up because Hunan is not so competitive as a team and he needs some time to recover and get ready for the apparatus events," he said.

Li managed to make two apparatus finals of parallel bars and vault to be held on Sunday.

His withdrawal, however, would leave Hunan no room to choose members for each apparatus in a 6-5-4 formation.

The foot trouble has been a long annoyance to the 24-year-old. Apart from the ankle, his biggest problem is the Achilles tendon injury, which was detected before last year's Olympic Games.

He fielded in Athens with heavily-bandaged ankle and brought home only a bronze medal on parallel bars instead of two hopeful golds.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2005)