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Liu Xiang madness has returned to China, with fans auctioning ripped-up pieces of the track star's clothes that he tossed into the crowd after winning his third national 110 metre hurdle title.

Internet chatrooms in China have been abuzz over Liu's post-race stripteases at the National Games on Sunday in the eastern city of Jinan, according to press reports.

The 2004 Athens Olympic champion was left wearing only his shorts after throwing his shirt into the crowd during a victory lap around the Olympic Sports Centre in Jinan, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Liu again stripped after the gold medal ceremony, this time shedding his track suit and tossing it to his fans who ripped it to shreds fighting over it, the newspaper said.

"The starting price for those who want to buy a piece of Liu Xiang's track suit is 30,000 yuan (£2,700)," the paper said, citing a posting on an Internet auction site.

Liu's win on Sunday was his first since coming back from surgery on an Achilles tendon that kept him from running at last year's Beijing Olympics, where he had been promoted as an icon of Chinese sports.

The win and his post-surgery best race time of 13.15 seconds has further raised hopes that Liu can return to top form.

Liu, whose star power pulled in a sell-out crowd of nearly 60,000 fans on Sunday, has become one of China's richest athletes and enjoys lucrative sponsorships with US shoe giant Nike and beverage maker Coca-Cola.

AFP