Dayron for the Gold

by Steve McGill

For this month’s great race, I felt an obligation to take a look at one of Dayron Robles’ all-time best performances, since he was truly one of the greatest 110 meter high hurdlers to ever compete in the event. And with this being the final issue of The Hurdle Magazine, it wouldn’t make sense to neglect one of the event’s greatest champions.

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Although Robles’ native country of Cuba hasn’t produced a high volume of elite-level champions over the years, the ones they have produced have been the very best. In the 1970s there was Alejandro Casanas, who broke Rodney Milburn’s world record of 13.24 (set in 1972) with a 13.21 (set in 1977). Then in 2000, Anier Garcia won Olympic gold over the likes of American Allen Johnson and the UK’s Colin Jackson, both of whom were sub-13 hurdlers. Then Robles came along in the mid-2000s, setting a world record of 12.87 (breaking Liu Xiang’s record of 12.88) and then going on to win Olympic gold in 2008.

The 2008 Olympic final is the one we are taking a look at here. It was a dominant performance, arguably as dominant as Liu Xiang’s victory in 2004. In this era in hurdling history, American hurdling was in a period of transition, arguably in a period of crisis. Allen Johnson, who had carried the mantle of greatness in American hurdling for over a decade, had finally retired. Two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell was no longer a factor, and the young guys were still developing, still finding their way in the sport. Veteran Dominique Arnold, who had set a new American record of 12.90 two years earlier, in the same race where Liu had run 12.88, had also fallen off the map due to injuries.

So the 110’s were now being ruled by a plethora of athletes from other countries who were pushing the event forward – namely, Liu, Robles, and Frances Ladji Doucoure (the 2005 World Champion). Robles, in 2008, was the youngest of these phenomenal hurdlers.

For Robles, 2008 was a dominant year in which he clearly established himself as the best in the world. There were many things about his style that were unique to him. First and foremost, Robles took seven steps to the first hurdle – something that nobody else did, except for American Antwon Hicks, who wasn’t quite on the Robles level however. For Robles, the seven-step approach came naturally and looked natural. Being 6-4, the seven-step approach allowed him the room he needed to power out of the blocks without needing to worry about getting too close to hurdle one. If you want to know where the seven-step revolution began, it began with this man. Because of his dominant performance in the 2008 Olympic final, and because of his 12.87 world record, Robles became the man to beat in the 110s. And the assumption was, if you wanna roll with Robles, you need to be able to seven-step like Robles. While that logic holds true, it’s also true that nobody else’s seven-step approach has looked as fluid and natural as Robles’. That’s probably because he didn’t switch from eight to seven, but had been taking seven all along.

Another remarkable thing about Robles’ hurdling style was his thunderous trail leg as it drove to the front and then attacked the track with the first stride off the hurdle. His height allowed him to bring the trail leg through high and tight; he didn’t need to flatten it out by opening the groin as much as the other hurdlers did. So when it pulled through, it provided him with an incredibly advantageous get-away stride.

Robles’ height also allowed him to attack the hurdles on a slightly downward angle – something that most hurdlers either cannot do or must work extra hard to do over the 42’s. Whereas most taller hurdlers over the years have had trouble negotiating the space between the barriers, Robles’ style allowed him to minimize his clearance time and to minimize the amount of space he used in clearing each hurdle, thereby allowing him enough space to sprint between without crashing. So, although being taller was indeed an advantage, it wouldn’t have been so much of an advantage had he not been so efficient technically. The only problem I had with Robles’ style was that his arms would get away from him a little bit sometimes. We all know that happened famously in the 2011 World Champion final, when he made contact with Liu and was disqualified.

So, in the 2008 Olympic final, Robles ran a blistering race from start to finish, and wasn’t really challenged by anyone. Lined up in lane six (lane one was open on the nine-lane track), Robles was sandwiched between two young Americans – David Payne in lane five and David Oliver in lane seven. Doucoure was in lane eight. While there was a possibility that Payne or Oliver could come through for the gold (as they had both been having great seasons), or that Doucoure might recapture his 2005 magic, the expectation was that Robles would own the race, and he did.

Robles’ seven-step start made everybody else look like they were toddlers trying to keep up with their big brother. Only Payne touched down even with him off hurdle one. From there, Robles opened up an ever-increasing lead, punching down his lead arm in a tight motion as he effortlessly stepped over each hurdle. He crossed the finish line in a time of 12.94, while Oliver, Payne, and Doucoure battled for the last two podium spots. Payne won the silver in 13.17, with Oliver gaining the bronze in 13.18. Doucoure was fourth in 13.24.

In looking at the race, one of the things that stands out is Robles’ upper body posture between the hurdles in comparison to that of his opponents. Robles leans forward over the hurdles, then stays leaning forward between them. The others, however, stand up between the hurdles, so they’re constantly leaning-standing up, leaning-standing up, leaning-standing up. By staying forward between the hurdles, Robles has better acceleration off of each hurdle, hence his ability to pull away between the hurdles.

Although there have been races that were more thrilling from a competitive standpoint, Robles’ performance was one of the most dominant in the history of the event, and it was one of the most well-executed races in history.

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