Dayron Robles to Run in Havana This Weekend

Cuban sprinter Dayron Robles, Olympic Champion in Beijing in 2008 in the 110 hurdle meters, will appear before the Cuban fans this weekend in competition, in the 64th edition of the Jose Barrientos Memorial Tournament.

Far from the starring names in the international tracks for several months, Robles, also former world recordman, wanted to appear before his favorite fans, though his shape is not the best at the moment.

'I want to make my start for the season in Cuba, better than abroad. My compatriots have not seen me run for a long time,' he said to reporters Tuesday

Roberto Paseiro, technical chief of the Cuban National Athletics Commission, stated that if there were a need for a semifinal race because of the number of runners, Robles would be included for the finals on Sunday.

Besides Robles, other Cuban members of the national pre-team will be participating. The exceptions are: female discus thrower Denia Caballero and the specialists in multiple sports, like pentathlon and decathlon, Leonel Suarez and Yorgelis Rodriguez, who are now in Europe, with important tournaments to compete in.

There are others who will not take part this time because of injuries. That is the case of runner Yoandys Lescay and pole vaulter Lazaro Borges.

Besides competing, the Cuban athletes want to achieve their goal to get the classification ticket for the World Championship in August this year. This objective has been achieved by 18 members of the Cuban team.