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Liu Xiang hurdles over fences during a training session on
Sunday, February 9, 2009 at the Rice University in Houston, Texas.

The comeback date of the Chinese sensation hurdler Liu Xiang, who is recuperating from an achilles's tendon surgery, seems to be just around the corner.

The athlete on Sunday took his first hurdling practice in two months since his right foot operation in December at the Rice University in Houston, Texas, reported the Shanghai-based Jiefang Daily Monday.

Before that, Liu had resumed physical exercise. His coach Sun Haiping said the recovery status of Liu Xiang is surprisingly good and Liu's training will intensify gradually.

The coach said Liu is likely to go home ahead of the schedule if everything goes smoothly. Liu was expected to take four months to recover.

But it's the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston that has the final say on the status of Liu's rehabilitation, deciding whether the athlete could resume full training. Liu received surgery on 6 December there.

Sun Haiping had said Liu is likely to return to matches in June this year and that the player will compete in the 2012 London Olympics.

Liu Xiang pulled out of the first round of the men's 110m hurdles at the Beijing Olympics last August, failing to defend his Olympic title and missing a much anticipated race with rising Cuban star Dayron Robles, who was crowned with a gold in the event in the end.

Liu's rank at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), fell to 17th in January with 1251 points, while Robles led the table with 1460.