Liu Xiang to undergo surgery

Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang will undergo surgery on his troublesome Achilles tendon.

The former 110m hurdles Olympic champion carried the injury into the ongoing Games in London.

He still tried to compete during yesterday's heats though, only for the problem to hamper his ability to leap and he crashed into the first barrier.

As a result, it has now been confirmed that the 29-year-old will go under the knife in London, before returning to his homeland later this week.

"He will have an operation today," Chinese Olympic committee spokesman Zhang Haifeng told AFP.

"Both Chinese and local doctors examined him yesterday. He's almost broken his right tendon."

Liu will be treated by a specialist sports surgeon who has previously carried out procedures on numerous athletes, including David Beckham.