Liu eyes world title after European outing

Former Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion Liu Xiang said he was ready to challenge for the world title later this year despite finishing third on Friday in his first athletics outing in Europe in three years.

Liu came in at 7.60 seconds in the 60m hurdles race behind Czech Petr Svoboda and American Kevin Craddock who both clocked 7.57.

"I feel very good and I will be getting better. I already look forward to the world championships (in Daegu, South Korea). I want to do really well there," Liu told Reuters through a translator after the final at the Duesseldorf meeting.

"Sixty metres is not my strength anyway because I am faster in the second part of the race and the 60m is too short for me. But it was good preparation. The world championships are over 110m so it is a different thing," said Liu, looking relaxed and smiling.

The 2004 Athens Olympic champion has also set his sights on the Olympic title in London next year after limping out injured in Beijing in front of 90,000 stunned home fans three years ago with a nagging Achilles injury.

A much-awaited clash with Olympic champion Dayron Robles did not materialise in Duesseldorf after the Cuban dropped out with a minor back muscle injury just before his heat.

"That is normal. He did not want to get more injured," the 27-year-old Liu said. "But there are many more competitions ahead."

"We are both young and I want to have a career as long as (American hurdler) Allen Johnson who retired at 39 so you will see many great races between us two," Robles, 24, told Reuters when asked about his rivalry with Liu.