Dayron Robles: The flying hurdling “baby”

Heir of a successful hurdling tradition, Dayron Robles has emerged as the new sensation of Cuban athletics. Nicknamed the “baby” by his rivals, the 19-year old´s promising future is already showing superb results today.

Since his surprise silver medal performance at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow last March, the 1.90m tall athlete made huge progress from 13.46 to equal the national record of 13.00 in probably one of the best seasons ever for sprint hurdling.

Twenty-five races, including three indoor runs in the Russian capital and ten clockings at 13.20 or faster summarize the Cuba’s rapid rise to the event’s upper echelon. Over the course of the year, he improved from 28th to second place in the IAAF Event World Ranking, and briefly occupying the No. 1 spot for the week between the World Athletics Final and the World Cup.

Moscow - first senior global medal...

In Moscow, the 2004 World Junior Championships silver medallist showed the first sign of how his season would be.

With no previous indoor experience, Robles ran under 7.60 three times and flew to 7.46 in the 60m Hurdles final to claim a well-deserved second, behind USA´s Terrence Trammell (7.43) and ahead of another American, Dominique Arnold (7.52). Later in March, he claimed his first national senior title. He won the 3rd National Olympics in May and improved his personal best to 13.32 at the Barrientos Memorial in early June.

...World age best in Lausanne

In early summer, the young Cuban achieved four easy wins in Spain while lowering his PB to 13.28, a clear indication that he was ready for the big time on the European circuit.

Invited for the first time to a Golden League meeting, in Paris he confirmed his progress with a 13.11 performance for third place, very close to Trammell (13.06) and Arnold (13.08). At the same time, Robles posted his first win over China’s Olympic champion Liu Xiang (13.19) and France’s 2005 world champion Ladji Doucouré (13.21).

In the historic Lausanne race, where Liu Xiang ran a World record time of 12.88 with Arnold close behind in 12.90, Robles set a world best for an athlete aged 19 with an impressive 13.04 for fourth.

“I did not have a good start in that race, but the day was magic. Everyone ran so fast,” he recalled of Lausanne. “I am young and I already reached the elite level. Now I have to stay there.”

He decided to skip the Rome Golden League meeting and finished the first part of the European tour with a 13.08 win in Madrid.

...and first senior international title in Cartagena

Robles travelled to Cartagena for the 20th Central American and Caribbean Games, where he broke his countryman Anier Garcia’s Games record of 13.27 with a 13.12 run for gold.

Robles returned to Europe with one main focus: to place higher than Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall at the World Rankings by August 21, in order to secure the Americas´ spot for the World Cup.

Only three hours after arriving in Zürich from Havana, Robles placed second (13.20) in the prestigious Weltklasse meeting and won the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Monaco (13.14) and the Linz meeting (13.13) in a four-day span. Two more victories in Zagreb (13.20) and Padova (13.31) preceded a fourth place in Berlin (13.38).

He saved his best for last at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, where he equalled Garcia’s CAC and national record, running 13.00 for second, behind Liu (12.93).

“I came to Stuttgart to do my best and I did. If I had not hit the last hurdle, I could have dipped under 13 seconds. I will achieve that. It is just a matter of time,” commented Robles, who moved up to the 12th spot on the all-time list.

That performance earned him the no. 1 spot in the World Rankings that week as a prelude to the IAAF World Cup in Athens. He ended the season with a 13.06 for third, behind Allen Johnson (12.96) and Liu (13.03). The trio broke the previous World Cup record.

“This been has been magnificent year. My goal for 2006 was 13.20, 13.18 maximum, and to stay consistent around that time, but everyone is surprised about my progress, including me. The top athletes tell me: baby, you are doing great,” he confessed.

“I have beaten and lost to the world’s best,” he continued. “I am not worried. I have a lot of confidence in my coach Santiago Antúnez. He has a lot of experience and he knows how to best exploit my potential. I also have the will to have a good career as a hurdler.”

Talent spotted early

Different from other top Cuban hurdlers, Dayron Robles was promoted to the national junior team at a younger age, sooner than Garcia, giving the former more time to correct his mistakes.

In Cuba, both the national junior and senior hurdling teams train together. When Robles would finish his sessions, he would stay on the track to watch the more experienced athletes such as 2000 Olympic champion Garcia, and Yoel and Yuniel Hernández.

“Every single day, he watched his current and former team-mates´ videos. Whatever indication we made, he followed it very seriously,” observed the Cuban hurdles guru Antúnez. “He is super talented in all aspects and more importantly is his interest in improving. He knows where he wants to get. We need to work on his start and the run-in from the last hurdle to the finish line,” his coach added.

He only uses seven steps, instead of the usual eight for many athletes, to reach the first hurdle. “No matter how his start is, he should get to the first hurdle with the leaders.”

On a Saturday morning, Antúnez was explaining to him how seriously his group worked. And Robles replied: “It took a great effort and dedication to get here. I even trained barefoot. Now, nobody can take me out from here.”

“He was supposed to finish 2005 with a better mark, around 13.30-13.35, but he mostly raced with juniors and felt no pressure. I did not want to have a half a second improvement in one year, but the 13.00 was well welcomed,” Antúnez added.

Liu and Johnson praise the Cuban prospect

“He is very young and is already very strong at his age. He has very good future and I would like to work with him in the future and improve the level of this event. I would like to see him in Shanghai for our Grand Prix in 2007,” Liu said.

Johnson affirmed that “he is obviously the future of Cuban hurdling. Cuba has had a long rich tradition, all the way from (Alejandro) Casañas and before. I think everyone has to look up for him in the future.”

What’s next?

Running 13 seconds flat at the age of 19 places Robles as a strong candidate for the World record, but he avoids adding pressure on himself.

“I have been fortunate to be running at probably one of the best moments for the sprint hurdles. As Liu said in Athens, ‘anyone of us can break the world record’.”

The best year for sprint hurdling is explained not only by Liu’s World record, but also by three other clockings under 13 seconds and nine at 13.04 or faster.

Another Cuban, two-time Olympic silver medallist Alejandro Casañas, smashed the 110m global mark with his 13.21 in 1977.

“I am not worried about it now. I have many things to improve, technical and physical aspects. I can not achieve everything in one year. I have new goals for 2007 and 2008.”

For 2007, the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and the World Championships in Osaka are the main objectives, as well as breaking the 13-second barrier.

Robles leads a new generation of Cuban youngsters who are expected to keep the Island’s successful athletic tradition.

“There have always been talented athletes in Cuba, but we have great prospects right now,” like 2005 World Youth champions Héctor Dayron Fuentes (Triple Jump) and Aymée Martínez (200-400m), 2006 World Junior silver medallist Yordanis Garcia (decathlon) and 2005 World Youth Champs runner-up Jorge Valcárcel (200m).

From sporting roots

Dayron Robles comes from an athletics background as some of his relatives participated in sport. His mother Regla Mercy, a housewife, practised volleyball while his father Gualberto, who passed away in 1998, was a musician. His uncle Eulogio Robles was most successful as a member of the national team in the 1970’s and ran 51.76 in the 400m Hurdles.

Dayron took up athletics at the age of 10 and as usual in Cuba, he competed in different disciplines. Trainers had realised his potential for the Hurdles, but he preferred the High Jump, and only started to focus on the hurdles at the age of 14, making great progress since.
 
After winning at the National Youth Games, he was promoted to the national junior team in 2002. He made his international debut when sixth at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada.

He kept improving and gave Cuba its only medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, where he finished second in the 110m Hurdles final.

He finished his junior career on a high note in 2005, breaking the 33-year old Central American and Caribbean junior record twice as he ran 13.47 and 13.46, the latter to win the Pan American junior title in Windsor, Canada.  He also placed runner-up at the CAC Senior Championships in Nassau and reached the semi-finals at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki.

He considers his coach Santiago Antúnez as a father and his team mates in the athletics squad as brothers.
 
“Anier Garcia is like a school for me. He has been my reference since I got to the national team. I admire him both as an athlete as a person. We are good friends.”

“He has made a tremendous progress. With him, the future of hurdling in Cuba is guaranteed,” said Garcia.

One of his best friends on the national team is 2005 World Championships Triple Jump silver medallist Yargelis Savigne. They both come from the same roots in the easternmost province of Guantanamo. Off the track, Robles loves to party, listen to music and dance. He has special preference for reggae and rap.

After taking a physical conditioning course, he is scheduled to start his sport and physical education studies at the Manuel Fajardo University of Sports and Physical Education. His father and a cousin, Henry Murray, who died in mid 2006, are the main motivations for him every time he steps on a track.

Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF