Chinese star hurdler Liu Xiang will announce his retirement next week.

Liu's coach Sun Haiping told a few media members this week that the 31-year-old former world and Olympic champion is likely to announce his retirement next Tuesday on Weibo.

Liu's last public appearance was on March 29 at Beijing National Stadium for a promotional event for the 2015 IAAF World Championships, which will be held in the capital in August.

Liu had previously said he was not going to compete in the championships.

The Shanghai native shot to stardom with a gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

With China hoping for a repeat at the 2008 Olympics on home soil, Liu stunned the country by crashing out in the heats with an Achilles injury.

Despite comeback attempts, the injury continued to hold Liu back in subsequent years and he never returned to his peak form.

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