athletics - Cuba - records

Cuba's Robles breaks 110m hurdles world record

Thursday 12 June 2008

Dayron Robles beat the previous 110m hurdles record of Chinese runner Liu Xiang at the Ostrava grand prix, in the Czech Republic. The 21-year old Cuban has set seven of the eight fastest indoor times this year.

Cuba's Dayron Robles broke the world 110m hurdles record by clocking 12.87sec at the IAAF Grand Prix meeting here on Thursday.

Robles beat the previous record of 12.88sec set by China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang on July 11, 2006 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Liu could only finish in fourth place here.

"What a time! I wasn't expecting that," said Robles. "I'm very happy. I don't know if I can beat Liu Xiang in Beijing. But we'll see."

The 21-year-old Cuban, a silver medallist over 60m hurdles at the world indoor championships in 2006, missed out on a medal at this year's event in Valencia in March when he pulled up, thinking Liu had made a false start.

He has been targeting Welshman Colin Jackson's long-standing 60m indoor record of 7.30sec, running a 7.33sec this winter. He also set the world lead of 12.92sec last year.

"When he ran 7.33sec indoors, I knew he was capable of beating both the indoor and outdoor records," said Robles' coach Santiago Antunez.

"He was feeling great and I was expecting something magical. To beat a world record, you have to have a perfect race, almost faultless. It has been easy here."

Roaring out of the blocks, Robles left the field for dead, double Olympic and world silver medallist Terrence Trammell of the United States coming in second at 13.21sec.

"Everyone's surprised," said the American. "Nobody was expecting such a race."