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.