THE coach of Chinese world record holder Wang Junxia has called for a halt to public pressure on the distance runner ahead of the Atlanta Olympics.

Wang has raised national hopes of a gold medal by running the year's fastest times at both 10,000 and 5,000 metres.

But coach Mao Dezhen played down her achievements, saying the results of the Nanjing trials were attributable in part to familiar weather and terrain and a home audience.

"We have not adapted to the weather and temperature in Atlanta and are not clear about the circumstances of our rivals, so you can imagine the pressure on her," he said.

Mao said Wang, who holds the world record for both 3,000 and 10,000 metres, was intensifying her training.