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| Dayron Robles © Reuters Images |
Cuba's Olympic 110m hurdles champion Dayron Robles failed to make the world championship final in Berlin on Thursday when he pulled up injured after the third hurdle of his semifinal.
The 22-year-old world recordholder - who had hinted at pulling
out after the heats on Wednesday - clattered the first three
hurdles and clearly in pain gave up.
His failure to make it should leave the door wide open for the
United States Terrence Trammell to at last win a major title after
collecting two Olympic and two silvers.
The 30-year-old - whose last Olympic campaign ended dramatically
when he collapsed after one hurdle just after local favourite Liu
Xiang had withdrawn from his heat - eased through his semifinal
with a time of 13.24sec ahead of the Czech Republic's Petr Svoboda.
European champion Stanislav Olijar effectively ruined his
chances with a false start and while the 30-year-old Latvian
former world junior champion was in contention for a while he faded
to finish sixth.
Barbados is not normally renowned for its high hurdlers but Ryan
Braithwaite may yet change that impression after the 21-year-old
produced a flawless display in his semifinal to lower the national
record again as he timed 13.18sec.
He beat home the United States' Olympic silver medalist David
Payne (13.24sec).
Robles's semifinal was won by little know Briton William Sharman
in a very slow time of 13.38sec - veteran Jamaican Maurice Wignall
filled second spot.
Of the two Chinese hurdlers left in the event, only one Wei Ji
went through as one of the two fastest losers, with a time of
13.41sec, at the expense of his compatriot Dongpeng Shi (13.42sec).
China's leading hurdler, former world record holder Liu is still
recuperating from the heel injury that cost him a tilt at Olympic
gold in front of his home support last year.
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