Star hurdler Liu Xiang, who has been undergoing treatment for injury in the United States, is expected to return home in August, according to his long-time coach Sun Haiping.

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Track and Field Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province on Sunday, Sun said that the 30-year-old sprinter, plagued by injuries to his right Achilles tendon, is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Liu is in the final period of rehabilitation, and his doctors have allowed him to return to China in August, Sun said. But it's still a long way off before the sprinter restart full track training.

It's still too early to say when he can compete again, Sun said. They will only launch technical training, including jogging, when he comes back to Shanghai, Sun said.

Talking about the possibility about Liu retiring, the coach said it's a choice for Liu.