DOHA, Dec 12 - China's top athlete Liu Xiang thinks his country can top the medals table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics if their sportsmen and women work as a team.

The 23-year-old Olympic champion and world record holder showed his individual brilliance by racing to gold in the high hurdles on Tuesday, contributing one of 14 athletics golds to his country's mountain of medals at the Games.

Liu conceded that the Olympics, where China finished second to the United States in the Athens 2004 medals table, would be an altogether different proposition.

"The Asian Games do not represent the Olympics," he said. "Generally speaking China will probably be second in the medals table because there are still big difficulties in swimming and athletics.

"But nothing is impossible and by emphasising the collective power, with athletes and coaches working together, we can be number one. One athlete alone cannot do this."

Liu said even he was not guaranteed a gold medal with the likes of Americans Allen Johnson and Dominique Arnold, Cuban Dayron Robles as well as France's world champion Ladji Doucoure around.

"I am in excellent condition but I don't know how long I can maintain that," he said.

"I know my competition. When we compete we smile and talk. I believe our abilities are similar. If I win the world title (in Osaka next year), there is no guarantee I will keep it."

When he won the 110m hurdles at the last Asian Games in Pusan in 2002, Liu was virtually unknown outside China and not exactly a household name there.

Four years on, the Shanghai native is the most high profile of the some 10,000 athletes at the Doha Games and as such felt able to offer his advice to fellow hurdlers from the continent.

"The competition was much better than the last Games," said Liu, who set his world record at 12.88 seconds in July.

"Europeans and Americans have much better natural conditions but our Asian athletes can overcome their weaknesses by improving their technique.

"I would like to see some Asian athletes coming through and doing times under 13 seconds."