Dayron Robles

Cuban athlete specialized in the 110 meters hurdles event. He held the world record in 110m hurdles athletics with a time of 12.87 seconds. One of the best representatives of the specialty of all time. He developed as a runner under the direction and advice of experienced Cuban coaches who made him a good athlete.

He made his debut in the senior category in 2005 at just 19 years old, after obtaining the silver medal at the Junior World Championship in Canada. He then experienced great progression that led him to break the world record at the Athletic Meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic in 2008, the year of his best season and in which he also became champion at the Beijing Olympic Games.

From an early age he was inclined toward sports, obtaining outstanding performances in youth championships and later in senior categories.

At just 19 years old, he debuted in the senior category, after obtaining a silver medal in the universal youth competition in Canada, in the 110 meters hurdles. Subsequently, he begins to compete in 60 meters hurdles, and on March 11, 2006, he achieves the silver medal at the Junior World Athletics Championship in Moscow, Russia.

The records in youth competitions from 2004 were spectacular. At 17 years old he achieved 13.77 at the world competition of that category in Grosseto, Italy. With more years of experience he set the Cuban junior national record for short hurdles which was 13.55. And later he improved the times in 2005. First, at the Barrientos Memorial, in the Cuban capital (13.47) and then at the Pan American Championship in Windsor, Canada (13.46).

In 2006 he was runner-up in 60m hurdles at the indoor world championship in Moscow. In 2008 at the World Indoor Track and Field Championship, being the favorite to win gold, he was eliminated in the heats when he slowed his race thinking a false start had occurred.

He set the world record at the Athletic Meeting in Ostrava (Czech Republic), with a time of 12 seconds and 87 hundredths (favorable wind: 0.9 m/s), on Thursday, June 12, 2008, thus improving the previous record by Chinese Liu Xiang with 12.88 seconds, which dated from mid-2006. This record was surpassed on September 8, 2012 by American Aries Merritt who registered 12 seconds and 80 hundredths (0.3 m/s) in Brussels, Belgium.

On Wednesday, August 21, 2008 he was crowned Olympic champion in Beijing. In 2010 he won the gold medal in the 60 meters hurdles at the World Indoor Track and Field Championship in Doha. Dayron won with a time of 7.34 seconds to finish ahead of Americans Terrence Trammell and David Oliver.

The following years were unfortunate for the athlete. At the 2011 World Championship, he was disqualified from first place for interfering in the race of his rival, Liu Xiang; and at the London 2012 Olympic Games, he withdrew from the final of the event due to injury.

On January 24, 2013, he requested his discharge from Cuba's national team, a decision that followed the retirement of his coach Santiago Antúnez. Although it seemed to put an end to his career at twenty-six years old, he returned to the track in Turin, Italy, on June 8, 2013, with a sixth place finish and a time of 13.82 s.

However, this participation resulted in the Cuban Athletics Federation, through its president Alberto Juantorena, filing a complaint with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since Robles had already announced his retirement and returned to compete on behalf of Cuba, a situation that violated IAAF rules, according to Juantorena.

Furthermore, the Cuban federation rejected a request from French club AS Monaco for the athlete to compete for this institution.

Race Time Year Notes
50 meters hurdles 6.39 s 2008
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60 meters hurdles 7.33 s 2008
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110 meters hurdles 12.87 s 2008 World Record