After finishing third in two recent meets in the European Indoor Circuit in Germany, Liu Xiang says he believes he is on pace to return to the top of his sport after recovering from a serious achilles injury.

In Duesseldorf, Liu clocked 7.60 seconds to finish third in the 60-meter hurdles, behind Petr Svoboda of the Czech Republic and America's Kevin Craddock.

In Karlsruhe, he finished behind David Oliver of the United States and France's Dimitr Bascou. Liu's 7.55 there was 0.13 seconds off his indoor best of 7.42, which was set in February in 2007.

Although still far from his best form, Liu says the two races in Europe have boosted his confidence and he will start preparing for the outdoor season which begins in May.

Liu says he is now also seriously targeting the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Liu said, "I am satisfied with these two results of 7.60 seconds and 7.55 seconds in Germany. I still need to improve some little things, and figure them out during the training when I get back. Getting to the first hurdle and finding my center of gravity are the main issues. After four races during three days with high intensity, I am satisfied with my performance."