SHIJIAZHUANG, North China, May 20 (Xinhuanet) -- American star sprinter Michael Johnson will condcut a few clinics for the Athens Olympics-bound Chinese athletics from June 14 to 18, a top Chinese athletics officials said here on Thursday.

    Feng Shuyong, head coach of the Chinese national team, said that the world men's 200m and 400m record holder will come to China along with his coach.

    "He will teach the coaches and athletes how to ready themselves physically, technically and mentally for the Athens Olympic Games," Feng said.

    He said Johnson's China tour will be sponsored by sports goods manufacturer Nike.

    Rumors have flew high that China will hire a foreign coach to train the Chinese athletes, who won only one gold in the Sydney Olympic Games four years ago, through woman walker Wang Liping.

    "Actually, we tried but failed to find a foreign coach which issuitable for Chinese athletics," Feng said.

    Foreign coaches are showing increasing interest in China's sports prospects with its national football and basketball teams coached by Dutchman Arie Haan and American Del Harris, respectively.

    The world's most populous country acknowledges there is a huge gap between the country's top level athletes and the world's best,but with the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 it wants to at least to be on a more competitive footing.

    China's target in track and field at the Olympic Games is to win a medal of any color and their biggest medal hopeful is men's 110m hurdler Liu Xiang and women's long distance runner Sun Yingjie.

    Liu Xiang is the bronze medallist at last year's world championships, and Sun also won world championship bronze, in the 5,000m.

    Liu's medal chance got a boost early in May as he clocked a season best of 13.06 seconds in the Osaka Grand Prix, beating US great Allen Johnson to the second place. Enditem