byLarry Eder
David Oliver, Dayron Robles, 2011 WC, photo by PhotoRun.netWhen you have the world record and you also are the defending Olympic champion, you have a few people who might want to bring you down a few pedestals. Such is the life of Dayron Robles, the Cuban hurdling deity, who not only has the world record and Olympic title, but has a few bits to settle this year.
In Daegu, Korea, in a particularly physical race, Dayron Robles was disqualified in the final, which gave Jason Richardson the gold medal, Liu Xiang the silver and Andy Turner the bronze. The 110 meter hurdles, to paraphrase a retired Russian coach, is not ballet, one does not get points for form or technique.
Dayron Robles, 2011 FBK Hengelo, photo by PhotoRun.net
So far this season, Dayron has run a 13.47 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Dayron will run at Nike Pre on June 2, and then, arrive in New York, to race at the adidas GP NYC on June 9.
Dayron Robles, photo by PhotoRun.net
The 110m hurdles will be one of the most competitive races in London 2012. With the quality of the event this year, New York should give us a good view of how the top hurdlers are doing, and it will also be the last time we will see American hurdlers before they head to Eugene for the Trials.
Dayron Robles joins adidas Grand Prix hurdles field
Top 3 in the world, plus World Indoor Champ, to face off on June 9
NEW YORK CITY (May 14, 2012)–Dayron Robles of Cuba,
the World Record-holder (12.87) and reigning Olympic gold medalist in
the 110-meter hurdles, has been officially added to the field of the adidas Grand Prix on June 9, organizers have announced.
Robles, ranked #1 in the world for 2011 by Track & Field News magazine, has never competed in the mainland United States.
Tickets for the adidas Grand Prix, in its eighth year as one of the premier track-and-field events in the world, are available at adidasgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722. The event begins at 1 p.m. on June 9 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
The addition of Robles, 25, gives the adidas Grand Prix the
top three hurdlers in the world for 2011. Americans Jason Richardson
(#2) and David Oliver (#3), along with Aries Merritt (#5) already
comprised a formidable field: Richardson is the reigning World Champion,
Oliver is the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and American Record-holder
who was ranked #1 in the world in 2010; and Merritt is the 2012 World
Indoor Champion whose time of 13.03 is the fastest in the world so far
this season.
With the World Record-holder added to those three, the 2007 meet record
of 12.92, set by former World Record-holder Liu Xiang, is in even more
jeopardy.
Challenging them all will be a trio of rising stars. Two new additions to the field–Omo Osaghae, the 2011 U.S. Indoor Champion; and Orlando Ortega,
also from Cuba, the 2011 Pan American Games bronze medalist–join
previously announced Hansle Parchment, the sensational Jamaican
21-year-old whose time of 13.19 in winning the Jamaica Invitational
makes him the fourth-fastest in the world this year.
The adidas Grand Prix will begin at 1 p.m. June 9 at
Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. The sixth stop on the international
Samsung Diamond League circuit, it is also part of the Visa Championship
Series. All of the latest news, photos and additional information on
the event can be found at adidasgrandprix.com, the event’s pages on Facebook at facebook.com/adidasGrandPrix
and on Twitter at twitter.com/adidasGrandPrix. When tweeting, use #agpny.
