The Real Class Act at Olympics: Cuban Hurdler Dayron Robles

[magbana]

As was expected, the US coverage of the Olympics has engaged in a virtual blackout of Cuba's participation. with the exception of Cuban boxers. But,, last night they could not hide Dayron Robles in the 110 meter hurdles. after all he is the world record holder. Contrast Robles' serious demanor , humility, and the respect he pays other competitors with Usain Bolt's arrogant hot-dogging

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/sports/olympics/22hurdles.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES
August 22, 2008
In the High Hurdles, Robles Makes It Look Easy
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY

BEIJING — It was not as if Dayron Robles needed reminders of how precarious it is to be a high hurdler. Though Robles is 21, he has already had to deal with plenty of unpleasant surprises in big meets, ending up out of the medals or the race itself.

But the reminders poured in just the same in the past week in Beijing. Robles’s rival Liu Xiang withdrew from what was supposed to be the signature event of these Games with an Achilles’ tendon injury, and Lolo Jones, the American who appeared to be in firm control of the women’s 100-meter hurdles, clipped the penultimate hurdle and tumbled.

“It’s a very difficult event,” Robles, a Cuban, said. “You have to go so fast and before you realize it, the hurdle is in front of you and before you realize it, you can be on the ground.”

The moral here is that what Robles made look easy on a drizzly night in the Bird’s Nest (once the most anticipated night of these Olympics) was, in fact, something much more daunting. While he broke no records, he did exactly what was required to win his first major event — sailing cleanly over 10 hurdles with his left leg leading and never getting ahead of himself to win the men’s 110-meter hurdles convincingly in 12.93 seconds.

The Americans David Payne and David Oliver had a much closer race for second, with Payne beating his compatriot to the line by one-hundredth of a second to take the silver medal in 13.17.

It was the first major medal for Oliver, a 26-year-old who played football and ran track at Howard University and has had a breakthrough season this year. Payne, also 26, won a bronze in the 110 hurdles at last year’s world championship in Osaka, Japan.

“Last year I got a bronze; this year I got a silver, so I’m sticking with the coming in on time,” Payne said.

The most experienced American hurdler here, Terrence Trammell, was eliminated in the preliminary heats because of an injury. “Our race would have been a lot faster, I believe, with the previous world-record holder and with Terrence,” Payne said. “But other than that, it was still a great race. It maybe wasn’t as fast as people would like it to be, but I feel we still did good to bring home the silver and bronze to the U.S.A.”

Robles seemed more fulfilled than overjoyed. “It’s true that I feel at last like No. 1, because I have the world record and I have the Olympic gold medal,” Robles said. “But I still have very tough rivals. The Americans will always be there, and then there is the Chinese. He’s as big as China itself.”

Robles broke Liu’s world record in June in the Czech Republic with a time of 12.87. At the time, Liu was trying to recover from a leg injury so he could live up to his top billing in Beijing by defending his Olympic title.

For the last year, Robles has been considered Liu’s biggest threat, which has come with its own pressure and would certainly have come with more if Liu had managed to reach the final and if the 91,000 ticket holders had been able to give full voice to their enthusiasm.

Instead, the big roars on Thursday were for other events. Robles, who drew the loudest applause of any of the hurdlers during introductions, said he did not feel delight or relief when Liu withdrew Monday before the first round.

“Liu Xiang, and I speak not only for me but for everybody when I say this, has always been a very strong athlete and competitor,” Robles said. “And you can feel it when he’s there on the track with you. When you try to beat him or match his time, you’re in for a very big challenge.

“I have to admit that I didn’t feel good when he withdrew. Because I know what he represents to the Chinese people. He’s a hero here in China, and I’d like to extend my best wishes to him.”

Although Robles is all controlled power on the track, he looks like an academic when he leaves it with his wire-rimmed glasses. It is not just an impression. He is a thoughtful sort, poised beyond his years despite his recent struggles in major meets, which included a fourth-place finish in last year’s world championship and a bigger gaffe at this year’s world indoor championship in Valencia, Spain, where he mistakenly assumed there had been a false start in his heat and missed the final.

The 110 hurdles remain a source of national pride, and Robles is now the second Cuban to win the Olympic title, coming after Anier García in 2000.

“To be Olympic champion is a dream,” Robles said. “But another thing is how long you can be on the top. It’s a world you have to live in and coexist with other athletes from other countries. And I would be very happy to live as long as possible in this world. I’m 21, and I would like to be here until I’m 36 or 37.”