London 2012: China's Liu Xiang leaves 'cold' London

Liu Xiang pulled out of the 110m hurdles final at the London Grand Prix last Friday

Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang is to avoid London's "wet and cold" weather until he competes at the Olympic Games, his coach says.

Sun Haiping said Liu, one of China's top sporting heroes, would train in Leverkusen in Germany.

He had arranged to train at St Mary's University College in Twickenham.

Liu won gold in Athens in 2004, but pulled out of the 2008 Beijing Games ahead of his much anticipated race, an action which shocked China.

"Other Chinese teams have also chosen to move their base thanks to London's cold weather, so Liu Xiang is not the only one," Mr Sun was quoted as saying by the China Daily.

Liu Xiang left London for Leverkusen after pulling out of the Diamond League London Grand Prix 110m hurdles final on 13 July - his 29th birthday - due to muscle pain, having won his semi-final earlier in the evening.

But Sun Haiping said Liu Xiang "will be sure to fight to the end".

The men's 110m hurdles events will be held on 7 and 8 August. Mr Sun said Liu Xiang would not move into the London Olympic Village until early August.

Before heading for Leverkusen - just north of Cologne - Liu Xiang's coaching team also considered Leeds, which China has chosen as its training base, according to the Shanghai Morning Post.

But feedback from fellow teams suggested that conditions at the Leeds training camp "did not quite fit what Liu Xiang needs either", said the report.