Thursday, July 20, 2006

by Gary Smith
Caribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
Email: gary@caribbeannetnews.com

MADRID, Spain: Cuban teenage sensation Dayron Robles, a young man definitely on the verge of taking over in the hurdles department for his nation from former Olympic champion Anier Garcia, said he's keen on putting up a fight against Liu Xiang, China's newly crowned world record holder in the men's 110m Hurdles.

Robles, who has a personal and season's best of 13.04, achieved last Tuesday at the 'Athletissima' Super Grand Prix meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, is in breathtaking form thus far this season and the 19-year-old is optimistic about challenging the Olympic champion, quoting that he's "incredible" but given a couple more years he certainly will not "unbeatable."

"Okay, he (Xiang) is an incredible talent and is still very young but definitely Liu Xiang is not unbeatable, let’s see in a couple of years," Robles who finished fourth the Chinese star when they last clashed in Lausanne a week ago, was quoted as saying after his victory in Rome.

"Despite achieving a 13.04 PB I was not at my 100-percent in Lausanne, I felt some discomfort in my foot and lost confidence. After this 13.08 (Rome GP) result, I know that i'm in great shape and look forward to the Central American & Caribbean Games to be held in Colombia (25-30 July). I’ll come back to Europe in August."

At the IAAF World Indoor Championships held in Moscow, Russia, in March, the Cuban breathed down the neck of every top hurdler at the meeting before surprisingly snatching a silver medal in the event in a personal best of 7.46 seconds and he said his goal for the season is to continue running faster and faster every time he steps on the track.
"What I like most is the competition, I enjoy a lot on the track," he said. "My aim is not to break Anier García’s Cuban record of 13.00, it is just to improve bit by bit."

In 2004 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Robles took second to American Aries Merritt, the man who he powered away from at the Meeting de Atletismo Madrid 2006 on Tuesday and both hurdlers are expected to continue to push their more experienced opponents to the wire every time they clash this season.

Robles is currently the fourth fastest this season on the IAAF Top List, behind Xiang (12.88), Dominique Arnold (12.90) and World Indoor champion Terrence Trammell (13.02).

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version