Robles blames his DQ on the weakness of his home country, Cuba

Posted: Tuesday August 30, 2011 4:31PM

Robles blames his DQ on the weakness of his home country, Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- Cuban athlete Dayron Robles said he wouldn't have
been disqualified from the 110-meter hurdles at the world championships
if he came from a more powerful country.

Robles was stripped of his first-place finish in the hurdles in South
Korea on Monday after judges upheld an appeal claiming he held back
Chinese runner Liu Xiang.

The ruling meant the gold medal was handed to American Jason Richardson,
with Liu second and British athlete Andrew Turner bumped up to bronze.

"If I were from another country that had more power, that wouldn't have
happened," Robles told The Associated Press in an email received Tuesday.

The championships in Daegu have been marked by several high-profile
disqualifications. Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt was shown the red
card for false-starting in the 100, and Olympic 400 champion Christine
Ohuruogu of Britain also was booted for a false start in her heat.

"It's very controversial that these things happen in an athletics world
championships, lamentably it was my turn to lose out," Robles said.

The Cuban, gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2008 Olympics,
said jostling was common in his event.

"You can always get hit, you open your arms and there's always contact,"
he said. "I've had races where I've collided with (American hurdler
David) Oliver, with the same Chinese (Liu), that's normal and all the
athletes know it."

A gold in the outdoor world championships is the major medal missing
from Robles' collection, but he said the latest setback would make him
mentally stronger.

"I believe myself to be the champion ... now with this experience, what
I've got to try to do is always be in front," he said. "They are things
that happen in life and you have to get on with it, the most important
thing now is to finish without any injuries, without any health
problems, looking toward the Olympic Games that are so close."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/08/30/Dayron-Robles-DQ.ap/index.html?eref=si_more