For US women's gymnastics coach Qiao Liang, it's good to be home.

Qiao, a Beijing native and former Asian champion, has returned to his hometown for the Olympics after an absence of 14 years.

"It's great to be back," Qiao said during the US team's press conference at the Main Press Center on Thursday.

Qiao Liang (left)

"I've seen a lot of my former teammates and friends. When I go to the arena, it seems that everybody knows me. It's a great feeling."

Qiao took up gymnastics at age 5. During the 1980s, he was one of the star gymnasts on the Chinese national team, winning several titles at National Games, Asian Games and World Cup events.

He retired after the 1990 Asian Games and moved to the US, where he received a scholarship at the University of Iowa.

"I stayed on the national team for 10 years and I had a great time there. I had a good relationship with my coaches and teammates. But after I retired, I thought I was too young to stay on the team as a coach," he said.

"The world was so big and I felt I wanted to take advantage of other opportunities."

Qiao opened a gymnastics studio in Iowa and has already become one of the top gymnastics coaches in the US. He has produced 234 state winners and several national champions, including star gymnast Shawn Johnson.

The 16-year-old Johnson started training with Qiao when she was 6. She made her debut in international competition last year and won every competition she entered.

She claimed four gold medals at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, her first as a senior gymnast. Later, she took two individual titles in floor and all-around and led the US women to the team title at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

For 14 years, Qiao Liang has been busy with his gymnastics school and has had no time to plan a trip home.

"I have been waiting for the right time to come back. It's a great honor to come back as a US head coach," he said.

At the Beijing Games, Qiao will help the US team, China's biggest rival, try to fulfill its Olympic dream.

"Of course we want to take the team title," Qiao told China Daily. "We are the defending world champion and the whole team has become more mature in the past year.

"China also has a very strong team, but we are up to the challenge. I believe this will be a fantastic competition to watch."