SHANGHAI (AFP) - Hurdles hero Liu Xiang thrilled a hometown crowd Sunday with a photo finish in his much-anticipated comeback after his Olympic withdrawal, vowing he would soon bring glory home to China again.

Shanghai stadium erupted as Liu and American Terrence Trammell, world number two, crossed the finish line neck and neck, both registering a 110m hurdles time of 13.15 seconds. Trammell placed first, ahead of Liu.

Meanwhile, Carmelita Jeter ran the second fastest women's 100m in history at at 10.64sec as Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva tried unsuccessfully to top her own record.

Liu, 26, exploded out of the starting blocks at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, racing for the first time since he limped out of the Bird's Nest last year during qualifying heats, leaving fans heartbroken.

"His result is beyond our expectations," Liu's coach Sun Haiping told reporters after the race.

The Chinese 2004 Olympic gold medalist, former world champion and former world record holder vowed before the race that he would soon be "ready to bring home the glory for China once again".

"Being back on the track today is a pivotal step for me," Liu said in a statement.

Liu's strong performance contrasted with Chinese athletics officials attempts before the race to manage fans' expectations.

"I'm confident and optimistic that I will soon make a full recovery and be ready to win again. I need to be patient and not expect too much, too quickly," Liu said before the race.

Liu had an operation in the United States in December to repair the Achilles tendon that forced his dramatic Olympic withdrawal and has been training in secret in Shanghai over the past few months.

His compatriot Shi Dongpeng placed third in the race ahead of four-time world and 1996 Olympic champion Allen Johnson.

Isinbayeva won the woman's pole vault but failed on a third attempt to clear 5.07m. She placed first with a height of 4.85m ahead of Poland's Anna Rogowska at 4.60m.

She came to Shanghai looking for redemption after failing to win a medal at the world championships in Berlin, where she was chasing an unprecedented third consecutive world gold.

With her 100m time, Jeter -- the bronze medallist at the world championships in Berlin -- became the second fastest woman in history. Only compatriot, the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, who set the world record of 10.49sec, has run faster.

The 29-year-old Jeter's time beat fellow Marion Jones (10.65sec) from the previous second-best slot.

American Tyson Gay beat Jamaican former world record holder Asafa Powell in the 100 metres with a time of 9.69sec. Triple Olympic and world sprint champion Usain Bolt had been due to compete in Shanghai but pulled out, citing fatigue.

Next year Shanghai will be included in the 14-meet "Diamond League", which replaces the current schedule of six Golden League meets and supplementary Grand Prix meetings.