Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Qiao Liang, a former Chinese star gymnast now coaching American reigning world champion Shawn Johnson, said the U.S. gymnastic team are "in good form" and will play their utmost for the Olympic titles.

    "It's good to come back after 14 years," Qiao said when he arrived at Beijing Capital Airport on Friday afternoon. He said he had a feeling that his hometown must have changed a lot.

    "I hope I can have the chance to see around after the Games," Qiao told reporters.

    Qiao, a Beijing native, started his gymnastic career at the age of five. He was an anchor player for the Chinese men's gymnastics team in the 1980s and won various golds for his country during his professional life.

    Qiao retired in 1990 and moved to the United States where he found Shawn Johnson and brought the 16-year-old Iowan girl to the top podium in world arena.

    For the women's gymnastics, the United States is the biggest rival for the host China. The Chinese women won the world championship team title in 2006 and then the U.S. girls edged the Chinese in the 2007 worlds.

    "The Chinese team is very strong, and so is the United States," said Qiao, adding that his players would not miss any chance in the tough competitions.