| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | |
| Born | (1986-11-19)19 November 1986 (age 39)[1] |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1][2] |
| Weight | 89 kg (196 lb)[2] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
Event | 110 metres hurdles |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 110 m hurdles: 12.87 s (Ostrava 2008) |
Medal record | |
Dayron Robles (born 19 November 1986) is aCubantrack and field athlete who specialises in the110 metre hurdles.
He won his first major medal (a silver) in the60 metres hurdles at the2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 season having improved his outdoor best to 13 seconds and become theCentral American and Caribbean Games champion.Pan American gold came the following year in which also set a meet record of 12.92 seconds at the2007 IAAF World Athletics Final – making him the joint fourth fastest ever.
He reached the pinnacle of his event in 2008 by setting aworld record of 12.87 seconds in June at theGolden Spike Ostrava meet,[3][4] and winning an Olympic gold medal at the2008 Beijing Olympics in 12.93 seconds. Injury ruled him out for much of 2009, but he returned strongly with a championship record win at the2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He was disqualified at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles, for violation of rule 163.2, obstruction.
He won his first international medal at the2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics, taking the silver medal in the 110 m hurdles which was Cuba's only medal of the competition.[5] At the2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow he finished second with a new personal best time (indoor) of 7.46 seconds.[6][7] He improved upon this time with a run of 7.33 s at the 2008PSD Bank Meeting – this was aPanamerican record and made him the second-fastest ever indoors, behindColin Jackson.[8]
At the2008 World Indoor Championships inValencia he didn't advance from theheats due to fact that he stopped running, thinking that fellow hurdlerLiu Xiang had made a false start. This was great disappointment for Robles, who had posted nine of the 11 fastest times of the winter season and was a favorite for winning the gold medal.[9]
At theBeijing Olympics in 2008, many anticipated a Robles and Liu showdown in the final, but Liu was forced to pull out injured in the opening heat due totendinitis.[10] Robles went on to comfortably win the gold medal, posting a time of 12.93 s in the final.[11]
During the2009 IAAF World Championships, Dayron Robles was forced out of the competition, not finishing his semi-final because of muscular injury. After recovering from his injury, he entered the2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. The60 metres final was the first time in over two years that Robles had faced Liu andTerrence Trammell in the same race. Robles began the race slowly but his power and technique saw him overhaul Trammell in the second half of the race to finish in 7.34 seconds, the third quickest time ever over the distance. The win marked a return to form and he said his first indoor gold ahead of the American was as important to him as his Olympic victory two years earlier.[12]
After a season's best run of 13.12 seconds in the rain to win at theOstrava Golden Spike meeting, he secured his first2010 IAAF Diamond League victory at theGolden Gala with a time of 13.14 seconds,[13] followed by a win at theMemorial Primo Nebiolo later that month.[14] His best run of the season (13.01) at theAthletissima meet made him the second fastest man that year behind David Oliver, but an injury curtailed yet another season. He returned to action in May 2011 and won at the Grand Prix Région Guadeloupe meet.[15]
Robles finished first in the 110 m hurdles at the2011 World Athletics Championships, with a time of 13.14 seconds. However, the result was invalidated, as replays showed Robles reaching out to impede the progress of competitor Liu Xiang, using his hand to knock Xiang's hand.[16][17]
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 meters hurdles | 6.39 | Stockholm, Sweden | 21 February 2008 |
| 60 metres hurdles | 7.33 | Düsseldorf, Germany | 8 February 2008 |
| 110 metres hurdles | 12.87 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 12 June 2008 |

As of 7 September 2024, Robles holds the following track records for 110 metres hurdles.
| Location | Time | Windspeed m/s | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcalá de Henares | 13.28 | +0.2 | 24/06/2006 | |
| Beijing | 12.93 | +0.1 | 21/08/2008 | |
| Cáceres | 13.34 | –0.7 | 28/06/2006 | |
| Cartagena | 13.12 | +0.7 | 26/07/2006 | |
| Dubnica nad Váhom | 12.95 | –1.7 | 07/09/2008 | |
| Guadalajara | 13.10 | +1.6 | 28/10/2011 | |
| Linz | 13.05 | –1.2 | 11/09/2007 | |
| Ostrava | 12.87 | +0.9 | 12/06/2008 | This was theworld record for 4 years 3 months and remains theCuban record. |
| Reims | 13.09 | –0.4 | 30/06/2010 | |
| Paris | 12.88 | +0.5 | 18/07/2008 | |
| Sotteville-lès-Rouen | 13.18 | +1.8 | 08/07/2013 | |
| Stockholm | 12.91 | +0.2 | 22/07/2008 | |
| Tangier | 13.28 | NOT KNOWN | 12/07/2009 | |
| Turin | 13.08 | +1.2 | 12/06/2010 | |
| Villeneuve d'Ascq | 12.96 | –0.6 | 27/06/2008 |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 110 m Hurdles World Record Holder June 12, 2008 – September 7, 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 2007(alongside Liu Xiang), 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IAAF Performance of the Year 2008 | Succeeded by |