Former world and Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang has undergone successful surgery for a foot injury that forced him to withdraw at the starting line during the Beijing Olympics.

Dr. Tom Clanton said Friday that the 25-year-old Liu had four small pieces of bone removed from the Achilles' tendon in his right foot in a one-hour operation at the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Clanton, who operated on Houston Rockets center Yao Ming's injured foot earlier this year, says Liu will fully recover.

liu left the hospital yesterday morning Beijing time in a wheelchair, looking relaxed and making faces at people outside the hospital. He jested that his only feeling during the operation was being "hungry".

He needs six months for rehabilitation and the process "is as important as the surgery", Liu's coach Sun Haiping said.

"The surgery is the first step and he still needs a careful recovery plan," he said.

Liu will go back to the hospital for further consultation on Wednesday and a rehabilitation plan will be worked out after that.

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