Star hurdler Liu Xiang has rewarded his coach Sun Haiping with a brand new Shanghai apartment.

The 23-year-old Athens gold medallist signed an endorsement with the real estate group and part of the deal involved getting a luxurious four-bedroom apartment (estimated at US$200,000) for his beloved super coach.

"I just want him to live in a bigger house. I don't think this is pay back or something, it is just a way to show my respect to him," Liu told the Shanghai Youth Daily. "I feel so comfortable to live in the same community with him. He is my coach so he deserves a bigger house than me.

"As a public figure, I also hope my act will take some positives in society," he added.

Sun is one of the most successful athletic coaches in China and has trained Liu since 2001. The super coach led his young charge to a series of sparkling moments highlighted with the gold medal show at the Athens Games in 2004 and the 12.88-second world record-breaking performance in Lausanne of Switzerland this July.

But Sun is reported to live in a relatively small apartment in Shanghai despite his household fame in China.

Based on the regulations of China's General Administration for Sports (CGAS), athletes are able to pocket 50 percent of the prize money while only 15 percent goes to their coaches.

Shanghai Youth Daily also reports that Sun finally accepted the apartment after knocking back previous offers from Liu. The young runner wanted to buy his coach a house immediately after the success in Athens.

Sun said he was very pleased with his new home.

"I am quite happy knowing he signed the endorsement just for an apartment for me," he said. "It is a kind of pride to see he really cares about me."

Liu's move is also hailed by China's sports officials.

"Sun has contributed so much for Chinese track and field so it is great that Liu solved his housing problem in his own way. This is good for everyone," said Wang Dawei, vice-director of Track and Field Administrative Center, the governing body of the sport in the country.

Liu is arguably the most loved athlete in China and his endorsement fee has rocketed over the past two years to make him the second richest Chinese athlete behind the Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.

Liu has a total of seven sponsorships this year, including sports equipment, beverage, automobile, postal service, credit card and mobile service.

According to Wang, the sponsorships are divided into three levels with a top contract costing over 10 million yuan (US$1.25 million) and the second level at five million yuan (US$625,000).

Considering these deals, local media estimate that the young Olympian could be earning more than 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) per year.

In another news, Liu Xiang fell off to the third place on internet poll for the World Athlete of the Year award on Tuesday.

Liu has taken up 20.17 percent of the total votes cast via internet, compared with an initially leading percentage of 56.18 when the poll started on October 11, said the IAAF on its official website.

Olympic discus throw champion Virgilijus Alekna from Lithuania tops the ten-strong poll with 38.21 percent. He is followed by sprinter Asafa Powell of Jamaica with 22.65 percent.

(China Daily and Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2006)