After training in Beijing for the past several weeks, Liu has been honing his starts and speed over the first three hurdles.

"During the training, we are trying to strengthen Liu's advantage of good beats between hurdles and improve his speeding-up after the first one or two hurdles," Sun said.

"According to his form, I hope he could reach about 13 seconds in the Worlds or even better."

The 24-year-old Liu has competed in three world championships.

He was eliminated in the second round at Edmonton in 2001 as an 18-year-old newcomer, before scoring bronze at Paris in 2003 and silver at Helsinki two years ago.

After winning the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and setting the benchmark of 12.88 seconds last year, a world championship is the only title to have eluded the Shanghai local.

Winning the title will be within Liu's reach but breaking his own record is beyond him, Sun says.

Liu set the world record in the Lausanne Grand Prix in July.

"You will have to run three rounds in the world championships, unlike the Grand Prix," Liu said.

"So the top priority is to win, not to break the world record."

If Liu won gold, it would be the first world championship in eight years for Chinese athletics, after women's walker Liu Hongyu's win in Seville in 1999.

Most of the 60-strong team bound for Osaka are yet to experience either world or Olympic titles and will look to Xiang for inspiration.

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