It's not that Liu Xiang's torn Achilles tendon is back. It's that it never went away in the first place.

China's track and field chief said on Tuesday that Liu's treatment for the injury has been an ongoing process for the past four years.

"The injury is the same one he had in Beijing," said Feng Shuyong, the team's deputy leader.

"In the last several years, he has had good medical care, but it is still there and we never stopped the treatment.

"An Achilles injury is almost impossible to fully recover from. We tried hard before the Games, but we could not find effective ways (to deal with it)."

Eight years ago in Athens, Liu found himself in the international spotlight when his 110m hurdles victory made him the first Asian man to win a gold medal in track and field. On Tuesday, Liu fell victim to the same injury that kept him from competing in the 2008 Games in Beijing.

"The initial diagnosis from the medical staff is that he might have a torn Achilles tendon," Feng said.

"He battled with the injury and hoped he could at least make it to the final. But he failed."

Feng said no decision has been reached on Liu's future.

"He is not thinking about retiring," he said. "(But) it is hard to say (if he will return). I hope all the fans can understand this, and that anything can happen. It happens to many athletes."

Feng stressed that just because Liu might be finished with the sport, it doesn't mean the rest of China has to be.

Feng asked fans to sympathize with Liu's plight, saying what really matters is that he participated.

"We've all seen how hard it is for him. It is such a pity, but his spirit was there," Feng said.

(China Daily 08/08/2012 page12)