Report: Liu Xiang to announce retirement

Olympic gold medallist Liu Xiang will reportedly announce his retirement next week.

The 31-year-old is one of China's most successful athletes and he became his country's first male track and field event winner in the 110m hurdles final at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Xiang went on to win gold at the 2007 World Championships, but a number of injuries have hampered his career, notably forcing him to withdraw from the Beijing 2008 Games.

He has not raced competitively since sustaining an Achilles injury at London 2012, and according to Agence France-Presse his coach Sun Haiping has claimed that he will call an end to his career next Tuesday.

Xiang had recently revealed that his chances of competing at the World Championships in Beijing this summer were doubtful.