A young Chinese girl poses with a bust of Chinese basketball star Yao Ming on display at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games fine arts exhibition in Beijing on August 20, 2008.  [Agencies]

Yao Ming Wednesday encouraged China`s hurdling hero Liu Xiang to put his Olympic nightmare behind him and to strive for greater success in the future.

Yao, who has led China`s basketball team to an Olympic quarter-final berth, sent a short text message to Liu`s coach Sun Haiping and encouraged the hurdler to put the event behind him, China`s Olympic Committee said on its website.